Will the National Day Parade on September 2nd be a Spectacular Event?

On the afternoon of May 12, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army organized a conference to deploy the Project on organizing the Army, militia, and self-defense force to participate in the parade and procession to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2 (A80).

Accordingly, the General Staff directed the Military Training and Schools Department to draft instructions on organizing and training the Army, militia, and self-defense force to participate in the parade and procession for the anniversary celebration, based on maintaining the same forces and blocks that participated in the parade and procession commemorating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification. This includes forming the A80 blocks comprising 11 standing blocks and 27 marching blocks.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, who chaired the conference, stated that the Military Training and Schools Department has taken the lead in coordinating with agencies and units to survey and determine dining and accommodation sites for the forces, prioritizing convenience for concentrated training and cluster joint exercises.

The units assigned to supplement the A80 parade forces have proactively developed plans, conducted inspections, and selected officers and soldiers who meet the specified standards, organizing training to be ready to supplement the blocks.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia requested that the agencies and units focus on heightening their sense of responsibility and effectively implementing the assigned tasks.

Specifically, the General Department of Logistics and Technology should comprehensively inspect the dining and accommodation facilities for the troops during the training process and promptly report any issues to the leaders of the General Staff and the Ministry of National Defense for timely resolution.

The General Department of Defense Industry should promptly propose and produce equipment, technical supplies, and means to ensure the successful fulfillment of the parade and procession tasks. The Hanoi Capital High Command should survey the marching routes and assembly locations after the parade and procession to ensure rationality and convenience…

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia also noted that the upcoming parade and procession training, from June to September, will take place during the hottest months of the summer. Therefore, agencies and units need to pay attention to developing flexible and scientific training plans to ensure effectiveness and maintain the troops’ good health.

At the conference, the delegates also discussed and agreed on the following contents: Organizing the parade and procession forces, costumes, equipment, and blocks; assembly locations, parade routes; training locations of the blocks in the clusters; and parade and procession plans.

The 70th National Day Celebration: A Grand and Sacred Event

A decade ago, in 2015, the parade and procession to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2 took place at Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi, on a scale unprecedented in decades. The event mobilized about 30,000 participants, including more than 15,000 members of the armed forces and people from all walks of life, demonstrating the great unity of the entire nation.

Leading the procession were blocks of the Vietnam People’s Army, the People’s Public Security Force, and the Militia and Self-Defense Force, followed by blocks representing workers, farmers, intellectuals, youth, students, artists, religious believers, and ethnic minorities…

Simultaneously with the flag-hoisting ceremony at Ba Dinh Square, 25 cannons fired 21 salute rounds to celebrate the National Day at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

A highlight of the event was the parade of hundreds of modern military equipment, including T-90 tanks, self-propelled artillery, S-300 air defense missiles, surveillance radars, multipurpose armored vehicles, and a fleet of Su-30MK2 fighter jets and Mi helicopters flying over the capital’s sky, creating a scene that was both grand and sacred.

After the parade and procession at Ba Dinh Square, the participating forces marched through several streets in the capital city of Hanoi.

The parade and procession to celebrate the 70th National Day were highly appreciated by the Vietnamese people as a solemn, magnificent, and emotional event. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the streets around Ba Dinh Square to witness and cheer, filled with excitement and pride.

Major international media outlets such as Reuters, BBC, CNN (Indonesia edition), NBC News, Business Standard, and The Economic Times extensively covered the event, praising Vietnam for organizing a large-scale celebration with high discipline and rich cultural identity.