These students waved the red flag with a yellow star and the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vi\u1ec7t Nam, playing upbeat music such as \u201cMy Home Flies a Flag.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, outside Flinders Street Station\u2014the busiest railway hub in the city\u2014a crowd composed mostly of middle-aged and elderly Vietnamese individuals commemorated<\/a> \u201cBlack April\u201d (1975).\u00a0<\/p>\n This group held the yellow flag of the former Republic of Vietnam and displayed signs reading \u201cWe remember, we mourn, and we will never forget\u201d; \u201cMother VN, WE are still here\u201d; and \u201cStand against oppression, stand for a free and just Vietnam.\u201d<\/p>\n Heated debates subsequently erupted on Facebook the following days.\u00a0<\/p>\n Posts on the fan pages of Tifosi<\/a> and Vi\u1ec7t T\u00e2n<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n A post in the Facebook group \u201cVietnamese Community in Melbourne<\/a>\u201d from April 29 suggested the locations for both the celebration and commemoration had been arranged in advance.<\/p>\n Commentary: Dr. Phan H\u1eefu Tr\u1ecdng Hi\u1ec1n, a former Vietnamese international student in Australia who now resides there, described<\/a> the celebratory display as \u201cuncivilized\u201d and reflective of a \u201chistorical dissonance.\u201d He argued that the students overlooked the trauma and lingering pain of South Vietnamese communities in Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recalling a 2015 commemoration, he praised an approach that did not distinguish between North and South\u2014one that emphasized remembrance over resentment within the Vietnamese refugee community in Australia. His post has since garnered more than 50,000 interactions.<\/p>\n In the comments, some agreed with his analysis, while others criticized it, arguing that as a minority, \u201cone should accept that their perspective may not be heard by the majority.\u201d<\/p>\n The Background: Following April 30, 1975, millions of South Vietnamese fled the country. Hundreds of thousands undertook perilous sea journeys as \u201cboat people<\/a>,\u201d drifting for months to seek asylum<\/a> in third countries such as Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a> migrant communities in the country.<\/p>\n The Timeline:<\/p>\n April 30, 1975: The end of the war prompts millions of South Vietnamese to flee the country.<\/p>\n April 26, 1976: Exactly 50 years ago, one of the first<\/a> groups of Vietnamese boat people arrived at Darwin Harbour.<\/p>\n 1975 to 1995: Over this 20-year period, more than 110,000<\/a> Vietnamese refugees resettled in Australia, according to the Vietnamese Museum Australia.<\/p>\n Sept. 2, 2025: A group of Vietnamese international students gathered<\/a> outside Flinders Street Station to celebrate Vi\u1ec7t Nam\u2019s National Day without any reported disruption.<\/p>\n April 30, 2026: The contrasting celebration and commemoration events take place in Melbourne.<\/p>\n Ho\u00e0ng Nam wrote this article in Vietnamese and published<\/a> it in Lu\u1eadt Khoa Magazine on May 4, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine has the copyrights of the English translation.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Shop](\"https:\/\/thevietnamese.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sfvn-tvm-728-90.jpg\")
\n <\/a><\/p>\n