Hanoi shops packed to watch the parade, customers queued for hours to get seats

On the afternoon of August 24, the atmosphere in the central area of Hanoi became bustling as people poured into the streets to watch the parade.

Many shops around the central area of Hanoi become crowded from noon to afternoon, many coffee shops are full of tables, customers have to stand and wait or take advantage of the extra seats.

Many coffee shops around the central Le Duan area also said that they are currently full due to the large number of customers. Mr. Nhu Anh, an employee at a coffee shop on Le Duan Street, said that since noon, the shop has been full because people are looking for a place to avoid the heat, drink water and rest before the event begins.

Huy, an employee at another coffee shop, said that most of the seats for the evening were already booked, especially from 7 p.m. onwards, only those with reservations were accepted. According to him, if customers want to have a seat for the following sessions, they should book at least 5 hours in advance to avoid the situation of no tables available.

When Dan Tri reporters asked about the price of a table, the restaurants refused to provide further information, leaving locals and tourists with no choice but to wait or find another restaurant to rest before continuing to the parade viewing area.

The atmosphere on the central streets of Hanoi became more bustling and crowded than ever as people and tourists began to flock to watch the parade.

Ms. Minh Anh, walking from Thong Nhat Park, planning to move to Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, stopped at a roadside cafe. She shared that she was very excited about the event, but because some streets were closed, moving became quite difficult, having to walk quite a distance to reach the viewing spot.

The coffee shop is popular with customers and has become a place to hunt for A80 ( Video : Dinh Tung - Hai Yen).

The family of Ms. Le Thi Mai Huong (49 years old, Dien Bien province) traveled more than 700 km overnight to arrive in Hanoi early in the morning, joining the crowd on Le Duan street waiting to welcome the group. From 8am, the whole family of three generations - the youngest child was only 11 years old and the oldest woman was 78 years old - waited patiently, despite having to go hungry all day.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Huong said that the moment she heard the sound of the plane from afar made the whole family extremely excited and eager.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, the family is very excited to wait until evening to admire the parade,” she said emotionally.

When planning to stop by the coffee shops around Le Duan area to rest, Ms. Huong said most of them were full, so the family had to move to other areas to find a place to sit.

Ms. Tran Thi Ha (from Sam Son) said that during a business trip to Hanoi, she and her colleagues took advantage of the weekend to stay and join the crowd watching the parade. On the way from Thong Nhat Park to Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, many people stopped at roadside cafes to rest, including Ms. Ha.

“The atmosphere here is very bustling. Walk a bit and then sit down to rest, avoid the sun and wait for the parade to pass,” Ms. Ha shared.

Not only local people, many international tourists also expressed their excitement at the festival atmosphere in Hanoi. John (second from right), from the UK, said he was very surprised to see the streets decorated with flags and flowers.

“At first I didn’t understand why the city was decorated so beautifully, but after looking into it I found out that this is a big holiday in Vietnam. I’m going to Da Nang tomorrow so I feel a bit regretful, but I’m lucky to be able to witness the parade tonight,” he shared.

The bustling atmosphere, packed shops, and crowds of people eagerly waiting… all created a special picture of Hanoi on this important holiday.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/hang-quan-ha-noi-xem-dieu-binh-chat-kin-khach-xep-hang-ca-tieng-nhan-cho-20250824162017965.htm