VIETNAMESE LONG-HAIRED ARMY MEET IN MO CAY DISTRICT IN BEN TRE PROVINCE, 1975-04-30 (photo)

Dao Thi Nguy, (C), 70, is greeted by her sisters-in-arms from Vietnam's "long-haired" army during a meeting in Mo Cay district in Ben Tre province, south of Ho Chi Minh City April 23. Some 300 Vietnamese women who fought or resisted against the U.S-backed South Vietnam gathered this week for the first time since the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975. Hanoi coined the term, "long-haired" army, in 1960 when women rose up against South Vietnamese authorities in Ben Tre province. A series of celebrations have been under way across the country for weeks as Vietnam gears up to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the conflict on April 30. CC