The moment I stepped off the plane, I not only felt the warm, friendly atmosphere but also felt like I had just returned to a place that was familiar in my mind.

Before departure, I had the opportunity to meet the Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam at the Embassy. She introduced me to some highlights of the S-shaped country and arranged the necessary work to make my stay in Vietnam go smoothly.

Vietnam welcomed me not with flowery words, but with the sincere smiles of ordinary people, with eyes sparkling with national pride, with warm handshakes as if to say: "Welcome to this resilient land".

I am also deeply impressed by the way Vietnam preserves traditional values ​​in the midst of the new era. The capital Hanoi embraces moss-covered tiled roofs hidden in the morning mist, street vendors, and the simple sounds of daily life, giving me the feeling of stepping into a vivid documentary.

Ho Chi Minh City - the city named after the great leader of the country, with its youthful, vibrant and constantly changing pace of life, gives me faith in a bright future opening up before the eyes of this beloved nation.

But what moved me the most, perhaps, were the Vietnamese people. I met them on the street, in restaurants, at meetings - each one had a very unique spirit but shared a common quality: optimism, perseverance and kindness. I saw in them not only vitality, but also historical depth, as if each smile today was lit from years of resiliently fighting against war, natural disasters and hardships.

Fortunately, my trip this time falls on the occasion of April 30 - a day that I believe not only has great significance for the Vietnamese people, but also leaves a mark in the collective memory of humanity about the aspirations for peace, independence and self-determination of nations.

Like you, April 30th for me, a child of a distant South Asian country, is not simply a day of celebration. It is also a reminder of courage, of those who fell on the motherland in exchange for the future, and above all - of steadfast faith in the future.

In the flow of modern world history, not many nations have had to go through such a long journey to regain their freedom. I truly admire the way the Vietnamese people wrote that chapter of history, not only with guns and bullets, but also with will, patriotism and an unshakable desire for peace.

As a journalist, I have read many documents and watched documentaries about the Vietnamese resistance war - with all its brutality, loss and controversies that have lasted for generations.

But only when standing here, when seeing with my own eyes the veterans walking slowly among the eager young people on the street decorated with flags and flowers, when hearing the revolutionary songs resounding not from the stage but from the militia "choir", did I truly feel the sacred weight of Liberation Day.

I see in the eyes of the Vietnamese people, whether old or young, a sense of pride, gratitude for the past but always looking to the future. It is this spirit of indomitability, solidarity, and perseverance in overcoming adversity that has helped a nation immersed in the long night of slavery win the war and steadily move forward in peacetime.

Above all, I think, the 30/4 celebration is not only a heroic memory of the Vietnamese people but also one of the most eloquent proofs of the strength of the people, of the ability to overcome fate with their own hands and minds. It is a day that the whole world should remember - as an epic song about the desire to live, to live freely and peacefully.

As someone who has been involved in journalism for more than half of my life, I have always believed that journalism, in its deepest essence, is not only a means of transmitting information but also a bridge connecting souls, stories, and aspirations between people, between nations.

In an age where news comes to us every second, amidst the huge flow of data, sometimes the truth, understanding and compassion are overwhelmed. That is when journalism (if honest, humane and responsible) will become a guiding light, helping people understand each other better, sympathize more and be closer to each other regardless of geographical distance or cultural differences.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-chao-don-toi-bang-nhung-doi-mat-sang-lap-lanh-niem-tu-hao-dan-toc-312696.html