ALBANY, N.Y. (WETM) — Governor Kathy Hochul declared March 29, 2023 to be Vietnam Veterans Day in a proclamation.

Hochul’s proclamation was prompted by the 50th anniversary of the last American troops leaving Vietnam on March 29, 1973. March 29 was made National Vietnam Veterans Day in 1974, and New York officially began recognizing the day in 2008.

“Vietnam Veterans deserve the utmost respect and recognition for their immense service to our state and nation,” said Hochul. “In New York, we work each day to ensure that their duty and sacrifice is commended and remembered, and it is my honor to celebrate New York’s 207,000 Vietnam Veterans on this Vietnam Veterans Day.”

In honor of the 4,119 New Yorkers that died during the war and the approximately 207,000 Vietnam veterans living in the state, fourteen landmarks will be lit up across the state. The landmarks will be illuminated with the colors of the Vietnam Service Ribbon: green, yellow, and red.

The following New York State landmarks will be illuminated:

  • One World Trade Center
  • Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
  • Kosciuszko Bridge
  • The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
  • State Education Building
  • Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
  • Empire State Plaza
  • State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
  • Niagara Falls
  • The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
  • Albany International Airport Gateway
  • MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
  • Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
  • Moynihan Train Hall