Fifty years after a North Vietnamese tank came crashing through the front gate of Saigon's presidential palace and brought an end to the nearly two-decade Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh City is gearing up for a celebration.

Even today, 50 years after the official end of the Vietnam War, the most iconic images from the era are still etched into the memories of the millions who have seen them, whether or not they were alive to witness them in real time.