Vietnam marks fall of Saigon
Business booming 30 years after 'The American War'
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 A look at Vietnam and America, 30 years later.
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HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Thousands of Vietnamese took to the streets of Ho Chi Minh city to celebrate 30 years since the communist victory that ended what is known as the "American War."
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled into what was then called Saigon -- the capital of U.S.-backed South Vietnam.
The American exit three decades ago -- when U.S. troops scrambled aboard helicopters from the roof of the Saigon embassy -- became one of the most dramatic images of the 20th century.
The country on Saturday celebrated with a parade of soldiers, government workers and performers waving flags on the grand boulevard where communist tanks once rolled.
Hundreds of aging veterans, their chests decked with medals, watched from the sidelines, The Associated Press reported.
The fall of Saigon marked the end of the 10-year involvement of the United States in southeast Asia.
Two million Vietnamese died in the war, while more than 58,000 Americans were killed.
Vietnam baked a four-ton cake for more than 1,000 Liberation Day babies and breaking with the military ceremonies of the past, the nation staged a parade without a real tank in sight.
The communist nation's top leaders, as well as retired General Vo Nguyen Giap, the 94-year-old military chief whose tactics subdued first the French then the Americans, attended the key celebrations in Saigon, Reuters reported.
Concerned that too visible a show of "triumphalism" could harm crucial economic ties with the United States, now Vietnam's biggest trading partner, Hanoi made sure this year's celebrations were as much about the future as the past.
On the eve of the anniversary, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai urged all sides involved in a conflict to close the past and look forward.
U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam two years before the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 but Washington supported the South Vietnamese administration until the end and established diplomatic relations with united Vietnam only 10 years ago.
"I was listening to the radio with my family and heard that Saigon had been liberated. I was very happy because for many years we weren't free. After 30 years we have rebuilt our country. Our land is safe and secure and I think the future will be better for my children," To Thanh Nghia, a 51-year-old government worker told AP.
In a testament to a surging economy, many shops advertised anniversary sales offering "30 percent off on the 30th," Reuters reported.
In a sign of the times, some parade floats, sponsored by Vietnamese banks, sported the logo of American credit card companies. One float featured women pushing shopping carts loaded with supermarket goods.
Coffee plantations cover the scene of epic battles like Khe Sanh; abandoned American tanks have disappeared and been replaced by the laid back sunbeds of five-star seaside resorts. (Full story)
Vietnam is now the world's biggest exporter of the instant coffee the world drinks; it is the world's third biggest rice exporter and a net exporter of oil.
Property prices in its biggest metropolis Ho Chi Minh City, known as Saigon in the French and American eras, as well as the capital Hanoi, are soaring to levels of European capitals.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
