Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and officials release doves on Hien Luong Bridge as part of the flag-raising ceremony at the Hien Luong – Ben Hai special national relic site, Quang Tri province, on April 29, 2026. Photo: VNA  

The central province of Quang Tri held a flag-raising ceremony at the Hien Luong – Ben Hai special national relic site on April 29 to mark the 51st anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975–2026), with the attendance of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam.

Also attending were Politburo members Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Organisation Commission; Le Minh Tri, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for Internal Affairs; General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence; and General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; along with other Party Central Committee members, leaders of the Government and National Assembly, representatives of ministries, central agencies, organisations, the Military Region 4 Command, Quang Tri province, and a large number of local residents and visitors.

At the ceremony, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Phuong said that although the war had long passed, memories of those heroic and tragic years remained vivid in the hearts of all Vietnamese, especially the people of Quang Tri.

He stressed that Hien Luong – Ben Hai is forever a sacred symbol of the will for national reunification, the aspiration for peace, and unwavering faith in the day when the North and the South would be reunited as one family.

The provincial leader also called for remembrance of late President Ho Chi Minh and deep gratitude to Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, fallen heroes, families of national contributors, war invalids, people and soldiers across the country who had devoted and sacrificed themselves for peace, national independence and the happiness of the people.

Phuong said that Quang Tri today, with its new development space, is rising strongly and becoming a land rich in potential and advantages, opening up new opportunities for growth.

Following the ceremony, General Secretary and President Lam, together with other Party and State leaders and representatives of ministries, sectors and Quang Tri, met with former armed public security officers who served along the former demarcation line, as well as local students. They together released doves on the historic Hien Luong Bridge.

The Ben Hai River, located along the 17th Parallel, once acted as the temporary demarcation line between North and South Vietnam during the war, yet it took 21 years for the people of the two regions to reunite.

Spanning the river, Hien Luong Bridge stands as a witness to the Vietnamese people’s fierce but glorious struggle and reflects their enduring desire for peace and belief in final victory. Historical relic sites located on both banks of the river have been recognised as special national historical relic ones.

Quang Tri was one of the localities most heavily devastated during the war by thousands of tonnes of bombs and shells. The province is also known for the fierce 81-day-and-night battle at the ancient Quang Tri Citadel./.