The Latest: On the evening of April 30, two starkly different events unfolded in Melbourne, Australia, as Vietnamese groups held conflicting gatherings to mark the 51st anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
The Details: Outside the State Library Victoria, hundreds of Vietnamese international students gathered to celebrate what they called “national reunification” and the “51st anniversary of the Liberation of the South and national reunification.”
These students waved the red flag with a yellow star and the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Việt Nam, playing upbeat music such as “My Home Flies a Flag.”
Meanwhile, outside Flinders Street Station—the busiest railway hub in the city—a crowd composed mostly of middle-aged and elderly Vietnamese individuals commemorated “Black April” (1975).
This group held the yellow flag of the former Republic of Vietnam and displayed signs reading “We remember, we mourn, and we will never forget”; “Mother VN, WE are still here”; and “Stand against oppression, stand for a free and just Vietnam.”
Heated debates subsequently erupted on Facebook the following days.
Posts on the fan pages of Tifosi and Việt Tân claimed that tensions broke out between the two groups at Flinders Street Station. However, The Vietnamese Magazine has not been able to independently verify these claims.
A post in the Facebook group “Vietnamese Community in Melbourne” from April 29 suggested the locations for both the celebration and commemoration had been arranged in advance.
Commentary: Dr. Phan Hữu Trọng Hiền, a former Vietnamese international student in Australia who now resides there, described the celebratory display as “uncivilized” and reflective of a “historical dissonance.” He argued that the students overlooked the trauma and lingering pain of South Vietnamese communities in Australia.
Recalling a 2015 commemoration, he praised an approach that did not distinguish between North and South—one that emphasized remembrance over resentment within the Vietnamese refugee community in Australia. His post has since garnered more than 50,000 interactions.
In the comments, some agreed with his analysis, while others criticized it, arguing that as a minority, “one should accept that their perspective may not be heard by the majority.”
The Background: Following April 30, 1975, millions of South Vietnamese fled the country. Hundreds of thousands undertook perilous sea journeys as “boat people,” drifting for months to seek asylum in third countries such as Australia.
Many endured hunger, thirst, and violence at sea, and they lost numerous lives before reaching safety. As of the end of 2024, Vietnamese Australians constitute one of the six largest migrant communities in the country.
The Timeline:
- April 30, 1975: The end of the war prompts millions of South Vietnamese to flee the country.
- April 26, 1976: Exactly 50 years ago, one of the first groups of Vietnamese boat people arrived at Darwin Harbour.
- 1975 to 1995: Over this 20-year period, more than 110,000 Vietnamese refugees resettled in Australia, according to the Vietnamese Museum Australia.
- Sept. 2, 2025: A group of Vietnamese international students gathered outside Flinders Street Station to celebrate Việt Nam’s National Day without any reported disruption.
- April 30, 2026: The contrasting celebration and commemoration events take place in Melbourne.
Hoàng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 4, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.
