HANOI: As Vietnam celebrates the 80th anniversary of its declaration of independence from colonial rule this week, French cultural influence remains ubiquitous, but not many people in the South-East Asian nation are aware of its prevalence.
A massive military parade will herald on Tuesday (Sept 2) the independence proclaimed by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Sept 2, 1945, which was meant to end nearly a century of French rule but instead started a decade-long war until the defeated French eventually left in 1954.
