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| Residents stay up through the night awaiting National Day parade. (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) - Crowds filled the streets along parade routes in Hanoi on the night of September 1, with excitement crackling in the air as everyone eagerly awaited National Day celebrations.
From 6:30 a.m. on September 2, participating troops, vehicles and performers will march out of Ba Dinh Square and fan across the city in the parade.
The parade will feature 87 formations, including four ceremonial, 13 civilian, 22 military, three militia and guerrilla, 17 police, 14 military vehicle and artillery, and nine special police vehicle formations, and a flag-bearing contingent. The event will also host contingents from invited countries - China, Russia, Laos, and Cambodia.
Numerous families and tourists from across the country flocked to Hanoi to join the celebrations.
Nguyen Hoa Hien, from Phu Ly ward in the northern province of Ninh Binh, was determined to keep a promise to her two sons. The mother and her children took the train from Phu Ly station to Hanoi, joining her sister and brother-in-law who traveled from the northern province of Cao Bang. The five-member family booked a hotel on Truong Cong Giai Street in Dich Vong ward.
“This trip isn’t just an outing for my children and me,” Hoa Hien said. “It’s a vivid lesson in patriotism, helping my sons value the present, take pride in our traditions, and cultivate a sense of responsibility to contribute to the country’s future.”
Not just visitors from afar, Hanoi residents also immersed themselves in the festive atmosphere. Nguyen Hoang Hai, 42, who lives near the parade route, said his family chose to head to Thanh Nien Street from 4 p.m. on September 1 to secure a better vantage point for watching the marching contingents.
This is his second time watching the parade after the full rehearsal, yet Hai remains eager and proud to join his family among tens of thousands of spectators, witnessing firsthand the precision, modernity, and discipline of Vietnam’s armed forces.
“Even in the cold rain, I wanted my children to witness the sacred, pride-filled atmosphere firsthand, so they would grow to love their homeland, study diligently, and contribute to building a strong and modern Vietnam,” Hai said.
At the Giang Vo–Nguyen Thai Hoc intersection, Ngo Duy Bach, 34, from Soc Son, Hanoi, shared: “Because of work, I couldn’t attend the previous rehearsals, so I decided to arrive early this afternoon to witness the parade firsthand.”
Not just in the city centre, but along more distant streets like Kim Ma, residents filled both sides of the sidewalks on the afternoon of September 1. Amid the lively, excited atmosphere brought by people from across the country, security forces and youth volunteers worked to maintain order while handing out water and rations.
The grand parade is more than just a national celebration - it is an occasion for the Vietnamese people to reflect on a historic journey marked by hardship and pride, and reaffirm their resilience, aspiration for peace, and determination to build a strong, modern Vietnam./.
