For many of the Vietnamese people who settled in the U.S. after the war’s end, its anniversary marks a complex turning point: the reluctant end of their lives in Vietnam and the hope of brighter days in America.

Thousands of Vietnamese celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on Wednesday, in what the country's leader said was a "victory of faith."

Vietnam has celebrated the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation 50 years ago with a military parade and a focus on a future of peace