Flag Raising Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square

In particular, this morning, August 16, 2025, 10,000 people participated in the National Flag Raising Ceremony, sang the national anthem, and then joined the "Moving Forward with Vietnam" walking program.

Flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 79th National Day at historic Ba Dinh Square. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

The "Moving Forward with Vietnam" walking program is the first walking activity organized at the national level, part of a series of sports - cultural - artistic - interactive events to celebrate the August Revolution, National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025) and the People's Public Security Traditional Day (August 19, 1945 - August 19, 2025).

The program is implemented in two forms: online and in person. For direct participants, from 6:00 to 7:30 a.m. on August 16, 2025, in all localities across the country, everyone will simultaneously put on red shirts with yellow stars, sing the National Anthem, and march together for a united, strong and sustainable Vietnam.

In particular, on the morning of August 16, before the national walk takes place, the program will have a live connection (livestream on Nhan Dan Newspaper's platform) with the Flag Raising Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square. It is expected that about 10,000 people will participate in the live event in Hanoi and sing the National Anthem, joining the beat towards the Fatherland.

At the same time in Ho Chi Minh City, it is expected that 90,000 people will participate. For other provinces and cities nationwide, it is expected that about 5,000-6,000 people will participate directly in each locality. The number of people walking directly nationwide is expected to be 200,000 people.

With the main message “1 billion steps into the new era”, the event is expected to mobilize the collective strength of millions of people across the country to join in walking, marking 1 billion steps for the health, solidarity and aspiration of a nation that is strongly transforming in the new era.

The Flag Raising Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square is a national ceremony of Vietnam, held regularly at 6:00 a.m. every day (6:30 a.m. in winter). The Flag Raising Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square was proposed by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Protection Command to commemorate the great leader of the nation and was approved by the Government in 2001, on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday.

The flag-raising ceremony has a very important national significance, attracting many people and international visitors to visit and witness, especially on holidays, Tet, and major anniversaries of the country.

Flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 79th National Day at historic Ba Dinh Square. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

Since May 19, 2001, the Flag Raising Ceremony has been held at Ba Dinh Square, regardless of the weather, sunny, rainy or cold, at exactly 5:45 a.m., when the melody of the song "Marching under the military flag" is played, the ceremonial procession begins to depart from behind the Mausoleum, marching to Ba Dinh Square to perform the Flag Raising Ceremony, starting a new day on the S-shaped strip of land.

The ceremonial team consists of 37 comrades. The block leader and the flag bearer are officers. The three comrades in the National Flag, the two comrades protecting the flag, and the 30 comrades arranged in 10 horizontal rows in the ceremonial team are all soldiers.

Leading the flag-raising procession was the Quyết Thắng flag. Next was the honor guard of 34 men, representing the first 34 soldiers of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army. The procession walked forward to the music to the foot of the flagpole. The flag-raising ceremony began.

Three soldiers wearing red flags advanced to the flagpole to prepare for the flag-raising ceremony, which was also the moment when the gates of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum began to open. After the command, the flag was unfurled and flew up to the sound of the National Anthem. The national flag was raised to the top of the 29-meter flagpole, fluttering before dawn next to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

In the sacred moment of raising the flag, the people stood solemnly, watching the national flag being raised on the windy flagpole. The solemn and heroic atmosphere made everyone feel proud of the country, both steadfast and indomitable, peaceful, friendly, and full of faith.

That is also an affirmation that not only yesterday's generation but also today's young generation always cherish the values that our ancestors left behind, because that is the source of life, gratitude and national pride.

After the flag raising ceremony, the honor guard marches around in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, then returns to its original position and ends the flag raising ceremony.

For over 20 years, the sacred flag-raising ceremony in front of President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum has become an emotional moment that many people in the capital and tourists often look forward to witnessing, not just once but many times, and has become a cultural beauty of the capital Hanoi in particular and of Vietnam in general.

The image of the national flag flying in the middle of the historic Ba Dinh Square, where 80 years ago tens of thousands of people of the new Vietnam solemnly and proudly listened to President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the first people's democratic state in Southeast Asia, made the ceremony even more meaningful and deeply symbolic.

Especially on major national holidays such as National Day September 2, Uncle Ho's Birthday May 19, Southern Liberation Day, National Reunification Day... Vietnamese people are even more eager to attend the Flag Raising Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square.

The usual image is of a large crowd of people in neat clothes, gathering around the Square, their eyes following the national flag slowly flying, evoking many special emotions of patriotism.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/chinh-tri/202508/le-thuong-co-tren-quang-truong-ba-dinh-linh-thieng-va-tu-hao-1533ba4/