Joyfully waiting for the parade, marching in national pride

Early morning of August 30, an excited atmosphere is covering the central streets of Hanoi Capital during the general rehearsal of the parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and National Day September 2.

The Trang Tien area has been crowded with people since the day before. Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

From early morning, on the sidewalks of streets such as Nguyen Thai Hoc, Trang Thi, Le Hong Phong, Doi Can, Giang Van Minh, Thanh Nien, Le Duan, etc., people quickly arranged their seats with good visibility to witness the majestic atmosphere of the parade. Everyone carried red flags with yellow stars, smiling and chatting, creating a lively picture full of national pride.

According to VNA reporters at 5am on August 30 at the Hung Vuong - Tran Phu intersection, the "golden" location where you can see all the parade blocks and military equipment passing by, many people were sitting in order. The light rain in the morning did not hinder the patriotic hearts that were wholeheartedly looking forward to the Great Day.

Taking out an old camera from his backpack, Colonel Pham Van Thong, a veteran of the Information Service, now over 70 years old, said that he has had a hobby of taking photos since he was young, but only for fun. Many days ago, he brought his familiar camera for a general check so that "he would not miss any images when watching today's rehearsal".

"I am very excited and love my fellow countrymen very much. I came here yesterday, parked my car on Vu Thanh street and walked in. Along the way, although my children and grandchildren told me a lot about the welcoming atmosphere of the people on the street, witnessing it directly, I was really moved. This is truly a great festival of the country, of every Vietnamese person", Mr. Pham Van Thong shared.

Priority areas are reserved for veterans, the elderly and children. Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

Priority areas are reserved for veterans, the elderly and children on Trang Tien Street. Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

At the corner of Le Thanh Tong and Ly Thuong Kiet streets, a group of young people chose a place to stay overnight, keeping their spirits and health to head towards the streets where the parade and military parade passed by.

Pham Thi Phuong Uyen, from Ho Chi Minh City, excitedly said that she and her cousin went to Hanoi on August 27, in time to watch the final rehearsal.

Smiling brightly, the student who just graduated from Saigon University said that she had carefully planned her trip to visit the capital and attend the A80 Festival, including a list of famous landmarks and dishes in Hanoi.

"I have attended the A50th and now the A80th Festivals. Both have given me a great feeling in common, which is patriotism in young people. It is not something too big, but just starting from simple, humble actions. I have seen young volunteers who do not hesitate to face difficulties to support the elderly. I have also seen cleaning ladies diligently picking up every piece of trash to keep the Festival complete. Our country, no matter where it is, is still beautiful," Phuong Uyen emotionally confided.

From early morning, many veterans were present at the intersection of Hang Bai - Trang Tien - Hang Khay - Dinh Tien Hoang to witness the A80 rehearsal (photo taken at 5:30 a.m.). Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

Meanwhile, at Thanh Nien Street, thousands of people of all ages lined up, eagerly waiting for the rehearsal to begin. Some people said that this area was packed with people from around 1am on August 30. Mr. Nguyen Hong Nam, a 78-year-old veteran living on Hoang Hoa Tham Street, shared that although this was the third time he had witnessed the parade (the first time was to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long, the second time was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of National Day), he was still excited this third time. Despite his old age, Mr. Nam still tried to be there early to watch the parade so that he could shout “Vietnam” every time the parade passed by.

Mr. Trinh Dinh Cong (33 years old, Quoc Oai commune, Hanoi city) said: Fulfilling the promise to his children to see the soldiers and policemen parade, his family arranged to go to Hanoi city center from the afternoon of August 29 to join in the solemn and bustling atmosphere. According to Mr. Cong, this is also the family's way of educating their children about national pride, especially understanding the value of peace , independence and freedom today. The whole family is eagerly waiting for the performance of the tank and tracked vehicles.

Similarly, 4 members of the family of Ms. Dinh Thi Ninh (37 years old, Phu Xuyen commune, Hanoi city) also lined up on the sidewalk of Nguyen Thai Hoc street from the evening of August 29 to wait to watch the parade rehearsal. Ms. Dinh Thi Ninh excitedly said that all the family members were eager to see the parade with their own eyes, so even if they had to sit in the rain from last night to this morning, it was worth it. Because not everyone in life has the honor of living in an atmosphere filled with patriotism, witnessing with their own eyes the heroic moment, honoring national pride.

At the Trang Thi - Quang Trung intersection, thousands of people were present from early morning with red flags with yellow stars and a sense of excitement mixed with national pride as they were about to witness the parade in the rehearsal. Many people said they had come here since the evening of August 29 to have the best viewing position. In particular, it was easy to see that many foreigners were present early to witness this important event.

Mr. Bob Deney (Australian nationality) said: “I have been to Vietnam many times and this is the first time I have witnessed your National Day parade. So I came here at about 4am to witness it with my own eyes and I like this atmosphere. Everyone is wearing costumes with the red flag with yellow star, always smiling despite the rain and cold weather. I will stand here, joining you until the end of the ceremony”.

From early morning, many veterans and their families were present at Hang Bai Street to witness the A80 rehearsal. Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

The "festival" atmosphere also took place very early in the Le Duan area, becoming lively from early morning. People gathered neatly on the sidewalks and sang the "National Anthem" together, creating a united and bustling atmosphere. The singing mixed with the applause seemed to add to the spirit, making the excitement of waiting for the parade even higher.

Ms. Le Mai Linh, 47 years old, from Phu Tho province, and her family arrived early and excitedly shared: "Although the journey was quite long and difficult, when we found a suitable seat to wait for the parade to pass, the whole family felt excited and full of anticipation, all fatigue seemed to disappear."

Mr. Nguyen Van Can, 87 years old, (Giat Bat ward, Hanoi) held a picture of Uncle Ho and arrived early to witness the event commemorating the nation's historic Great Day. Photo: Khanh Hoa/VNA

According to the plan, the upcoming rehearsal for the Anniversary Ceremony and parade will have the participation of nearly 16,000 officers and soldiers, including 43 walking groups (26 Army groups, 17 Police groups) and foreign military groups, 18 standing groups, 14 military and special vehicles of the Army and Police.

After 40 years since 1985, the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and National Day September 2 will be the second anniversary held at Ba Dinh Square with a large-scale parade of vehicles, weapons, and equipment.

The vehicles and artillery that appeared this time are all modern weapons in the inventory of the Vietnam People's Army and the Vietnam People's Public Security. Notably, the missile systems, UAVs, and combat vehicles were researched, designed, produced, and developed by Vietnam itself. In addition, many weapons such as missiles, tanks, armored vehicles, and rocket artillery have also been improved and modernized by Vietnam with many modern equipment.

The Army's vehicle and artillery units include: Armored tanks; self-propelled artillery, rocket artillery, surface-to-surface missiles; anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft missiles; electronic warfare vehicles...

The Police's special vehicles include: Traffic command vehicles leading convoys; protection vehicles, escorting Party and State leaders and international delegations; Mobile Combat Command Center vehicles; Bulletproof armored special vehicles; Anti-riot special vehicles; Multi-purpose combat support special vehicles; Fire prevention, firefighting, rescue and salvage vehicles...

VNA reporter group

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/han-hoan-cho-don-doan-dieu-binh-dieu-hanh-trong-niem-tu-hao-dan-toc-20250830062028807.htm