The witnesses, including historian Nguyen Dinh Dau, and former senior officers of the former Saigon administration, brigadier general Nguyen Huu Hanh and lawyer Trieu Quoc Manh, said that national reconciliation and establishment of friendly ties with countries over the world are the great desire of all Vietnamese.

The April 30 victory 35 years ago was an indispensable outcome of Vietnamese efforts to drive off foreign invaders and bring an end to the war, the witnesses told international reporters, who are in the city for the celebration of the event.

Nguyen Huu Hanh highlighted the country’s constant development, saying that in the spirit of national reconciliation after April 30, 1975, the Vietnamese people have joined hands to overcome the aftermath of the war and rebuild the country.

Starting from a situation where there was not enough food for domestic consumption, Vietnam is now the world’s leading rice exporter. All people have tried to follow President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example by upholding the spirit of national reconciliation and solidarity, Hanh said.

At the meeting, the historical witnesses agreed that over recent years, the country has made considerable progress in building a market economy.