A sea of people glowed red around Hoan Kiem Lake during the festival "Moving Forward with Vietnam"

At Hoan Kiem Lake walking street, Hanoi , the sea of people in red shirts with yellow stars has turned this place into a colorful space, affirming the spirit of solidarity and national pride.

At the same time, in 33 other provinces and cities, a large number of people and armed forces also took to the streets, contributing to creating a spirited national festival.

Participants nationwide wore red shirts with yellow stars, turned to the historic Ba Dinh Square to watch the national flag raising ceremony, and sang the national anthem in unison.

With the message “1 billion steps into the new era,” the program not only responds to the campaign “All people exercise following the example of great Uncle Ho” and the movement “Healthy to build and protect the Fatherland,” but also aims to unite the community and affirm the strength of national unity.

This is also a journey to spread awareness of environmental protection, as each step recorded through the program's digital platform is counted as a "green step," contributing to reducing carbon emissions, towards the national Net Zero goal.

During the launching ceremony on the morning of August 16, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide turned to the historic Ba Dinh Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony, sing the national anthem and participate in a local walk. The event is a vivid demonstration of patriotism, while also linking the physical training movement with the task of maintaining security and order and sustainable social development.

Comrade Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission, President of the Vietnam Journalists Association , and Co-Head of the Program Steering Committee, emphasized: "This is not only a sporting event but also a journey of millions of hearts beating together, arousing national pride and joining hands for a strong Vietnam."

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Quoc To, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of Public Security , and co-head of the Steering Committee, also affirmed that the People's Public Security force has taken the lead in participating and mobilizing people to respond. According to him, the program is also a campaign to propagate the law and prevent crime, contributing to strengthening the people's security posture and building the image of a healthy, united and aspirational country.

Below are pictures around Hoan Kiem Lake area this morning: