The Vietnam War that ended after the fall of Saigon 50 years ago greatly impacted U.S. society. For some Americans, it still shapes their lives today.

Vietnam’s top leader said his nation is ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s great powers, as tens of thousands gathered to watch a military parade marking 50 years since the end of the war and the defeat of the US-backed southern regime.

Fifty years after a North Vietnamese tank came crashing through the front gate of Saigon's presidential palace and brought an end to the nearly two-decade Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh City is gearing up for a celebration.