81st Anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day held in San Francisco: Historical bridges connecting the past and future
WVR - On September 16, the Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco held a solemn ceremony to commemorate the 81st National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2026).
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| Vietnamese Consul General in San Francisco Hoang Anh Tuan delivers the opening speech at the 81st National Day celebration. (Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco) |
The ceremony was attended by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, along with representatives from the government, diplomatic corps, businesses, academia, technology sectors, American friends, and the large Vietnamese community.
This year's event takes place as Vietnam-U.S. relations enter their 31st year since the normalization of diplomatic ties and the fourth year within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
From a past full of ups and downs, the relationship between the two countries has now expanded significantly from political-diplomatic, economic, and trade relations to education, science and technology, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.
Historical connections
In his speech, Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan recalled the historic milestone of September 2, 1945, when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
In the Declaration of Independence, President Ho Chi Minh emphasized the rights to equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every citizen, ideals also affirmed in the United States Declaration of Independence of 1776.
“At one of the most critical moments in Vietnam's history, the ideals of American independence were present at Ba Dinh Square,” stated Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan.
Vietnam-U.S. interactions actually began more than a century earlier. President Andrew Jackson sent envoy Edmund Roberts to Vietnam in 1833 and 1836 to explore the possibility of establishing relations. Although these did not lead to official diplomatic relations, they were notable interactions between the two countries in the 19th century.
The year 1945 also marks another special story. Members of the Deer Team from the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to today's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), collaborated with the Viet Minh forces against the Japanese fascists, training and supporting Vietnamese forces.
History then took the two countries through decades of war and separation. However, the ability to overcome the past, gradually reconcile, build trust, and become partners has led to the most remarkable transformations in Vietnam-U.S. relations.
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| Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, Mr. Daniel Lurie, speaks at the National Day celebration. (Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco) |
In July 1995, the two countries officially normalized diplomatic relations. At that time, bilateral trade was approximately 450 million USD. More than three decades later, in just the first six months of 2026, bilateral trade reached approximately 132.4 billion USD, making Vietnam the fifth-largest trading partner of the United States.
The change is not only reflected in trade. Over 25,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the United States; cooperation between universities, research institutes, businesses, and the scientific community is expanding.
In 2023, Vietnam and the United States established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a journey from confrontation to normalization, from normalization to partnership, and comprehensive strategic partnership, paving the way for new areas of cooperation.
San Francisco - A special bridge with Vietnam
In this journey, San Francisco holds a special position. In April 1995, San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City established a sister city relationship, becoming the first sister city pair between the United States and Vietnam, just months before the two countries normalized diplomatic relations.
More than three decades later, the relationship between the two cities has expanded from people-to-people, cultural, and educational exchanges to economic, investment, technology, and innovation. Located on the Pacific Rim and at the gateway to Silicon Valley, San Francisco today also plays a role in connecting Vietnam with one of the world's leading science-technology and innovation ecosystems.
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| Delegates and friends, the community enjoy traditional musical performances at the Vietnam National Day Celebration. (Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco) |
Speaking at the celebration, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, Mr. Daniel Lurie, congratulated the Government and people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 81st National Day, appreciating the relationship between San Francisco and Vietnam and the contributions of the Vietnamese community to the City. He emphasized the desire to continue strengthening connections between San Francisco and Vietnam in the future.
The presence of Mayor Daniel Lurie at the National Day celebration also continues the activities commemorating Vietnam's National Day in San Francisco in September.
Earlier, on September 4, the Vietnamese national flag was raised at San Francisco City Hall; Mayor Lurie signed a letter affirming the City recognizes September 2, 2026, as Vietnam-U.S. Heritage and Friendship Day in San Francisco. On the evening of September 4, the entire San Francisco City Hall was illuminated in red, the color of the Vietnamese national flag, to commemorate Vietnam's National Day.
Technology opens new bridges
While trade, investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges have laid important foundations for Vietnam-U.S. relations over the past three decades, science and technology are opening up a new space for cooperation.
San Francisco, the Bay Area, and Silicon Valley are where many waves of technology that have changed the world have formed and developed, from semiconductors, personal computers, the Internet, and biotechnology to artificial intelligence. This is also where many of the world's leading technology corporations, universities, research institutes, investment funds, and startups are concentrated.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is entering a new era of development, placing science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation in increasingly important positions. Semiconductors, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, high-tech industries, and high-quality human resources are becoming priority areas.
The convergence of Vietnam's development needs and the strengths of San Francisco and Silicon Valley is creating additional room for cooperation between the two sides.
“The next chapter of Vietnam-U.S. relations will not only be written in Hanoi and Washington. Part of that chapter will be written right here – in San Francisco and Silicon Valley,” emphasized Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan.
This new chapter could be written by engineers from both countries working together in the semiconductor field, scientists collaborating on artificial intelligence, universities training human resources, startups connecting Silicon Valley with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnam's innovation centers, as well as businesses building new supply chains across the Pacific.
This is also a new development in the bilateral relationship. From prioritizing overcoming war legacies and building trust in the early years of normalization, the relationship has expanded to trade, investment, education, and now continues to advance into fields capable of shaping the global economy for decades to come.
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| Traditional music performances by the Vietnamese youth band in San Francisco named “Green Sound Band”. (Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco) |
The Power of Community Connecting Past and Future
Both Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan and Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized the role of the Vietnamese community in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the West Coast states of the United States during the ceremony.
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| Consulate General staff in San Francisco actively organize activities to celebrate 81 years of Vietnam's National Day. (Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco) |
Vietnamese entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, lecturers, students, and the younger generation are contributing to many fields of U.S. socio-economic life while maintaining connections with Vietnam. In the knowledge economy era, the community is not only a cultural and human bridge but increasingly capable of connecting knowledge, technology, capital, markets, universities, and innovation networks between the two countries.
Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan believes that the bridge between Vietnam and the United States is being built not only by the two governments but also by businesses, universities, scientists, entrepreneurs, and above all, people. The Vietnamese community in the United States is an important part of that process.
After the speeches, Consul General Hoang Anh Tuan and Mayor Daniel Lurie raised their glasses to toast Vietnam's National Day, wishing for continued friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the United States as well as between Vietnam and San Francisco.
Joining in the celebration, American and international friends, along with the local Vietnamese community, joyfully enjoyed melodies performed on traditional Vietnamese instruments by a youth band from the community in San Francisco, while savoring many favorite Vietnamese dishes.
Looking back over nearly two centuries, Vietnam-U.S. relations have undergone a unique journey: From the initial connection efforts in the 19th century, the cooperation of the Deer Team in 1945, through war and years of separation, to the normalization of relations in 1995 and the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023.
Over the past three decades, reconciliation has paved the way for trust; trust has driven trade, education, and people-to-people exchanges; and today, those bridges are reaching out to semiconductors, artificial intelligence, science and technology, and innovation.
Therefore, the celebration of Vietnam's 81st National Day in San Francisco this year is not only an occasion to reflect on a journey that has passed but also to look forward to a new chapter, where technology opens up opportunities in which the community, people, and businesses of both countries continue to be the most sustainable bridges connecting Vietnam with the United States.
(Source: Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco, USA)
