Viet Nam holds grand ceremony to mark 80th National Day

Hours before the ceremony, thousands of people packing pavements around Ba Dinh Square and parks, with many of them spending sleepless night to wait for the grand ceremony.

6:30'

The military band plays the national anthem as 21 cannon salvos are fired by soldiers of the 45th Artillery Brigade at My Dinh Stadium, in sync with the 54-second anthem. This represents the highest ceremonial honor for national events.

At the same time, the national anthem echoes across Ba Dinh Square—the very site where, 80 years ago, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence before half a million compatriots, marking the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

The torch was then handed to Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Soat, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam People’s Army. A combat pilot with the 927th Air Force Regiment, he flew a MiG-21 (tail number 5020) and shot down six American aircraft during the resistance war.

6:43'

Dignitaries at the ceremony include: General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, Standing member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu, President of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien.

Also present were former Party and State leaders, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Labor Heroes, representatives of religious communities, ethnic minorities, intellectuals, scientists, artists, youth, entrepreneurs, and overseas Vietnamese.

Foreign guests invited to the event include: Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian People's Party and President of the Senate of Cambodia; Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez, irst Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of Cuba; Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China; Igor Sergeenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus; Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos; Vladimir Vladimirovich Yakushev, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly; representatives of foreign rulling parties, foreign Governments, Ambassadors, heads of international organizations in Viet Nam, and foreign friends.

Addressing the event, General Secretary To Lam recalled that 80 years ago, at the historic Ba Dinh Square, our beloved President Ho Chi Minh formally read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, the first People's Democratic State in Southeast Asia, ushering in an era of independence and freedom for the country. 

Since that historic moment, the Vietnamese people have embarked on a new journey: building a people's administration, defending the Fatherland, and leading the country to take firm steps on the path towards socialism, for the goal of "A rich people and a strong, democratic, equitable and civilised country".

“In this sacred moment, we respectfully commemorate our ancestors, express our infinite gratitude to great President Ho Chi Minh; and pay tribute to our revolutionary predecessors, millions of compatriots and soldiers who sacrificed and devoted themselves for independence, freedom, and reunification of the Fatherland and the happiness of the people,” said the Party leder.

He also expressed profound apprecipation for the contributions by Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, war veterans, wounded and sick soldiers, families of martyrs, and revolution contributors; and engrave in our hearts the dedications by workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, artists, the elderly, youth, women, children, compatriots of all religions and ethnic groups, our compatriots abroad, friends and the progressive people around the world who have stood shoulder to shoulder, assisted and supported the just revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people over the past 80 years.”

The General Secretary affirmed that throughout the 80-year journey full of hardships but pride-worthy, we have affirmed the truth: under the glorious flag of the Party, with the light of Ho Chi Minh guiding the way, and relying on the strength of the people and the great national solidarity bloc, there are no difficulties or challenges that our people cannot overcome; and there are no noble goals that our people cannot achieve. Therefore, there are no obstacles or reasons that can stop us from reaching peace, prosperity, and an everlasting nation of development.

Looking toward the future, the Party sets the goal that by 2045, the 100th founding anniversary of the country, Vietnam will become a powerful, prosperous and happy nation. That is the aspiration of the entire nation, an oath of honour before History and the People.

General Secretary To Lam called on the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, and our compatriots at home and abroad, through concrete and practical actions, to stay united, join efforts, and be of one mind to turn aspirations into reality; to make more efforts and be more determined; and to highly promote Vietnamese intelligence, creativity, and mettle, thereby successfully implementing the goals and tasks set forth by the Party and State and expected by the People.

“We are determined and persistent in safeguarding the independence, freedom, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and every inch of the sacred land of the Fatherland by exerting the combined strength of the entire nation: the strength of politics, economy, culture, science, technology, military, and external relations, and the power of the people. We want to be a friend and reliable partner of all countries in the world. We respect international law and the United Nations Charter; resolve differences and disputes by peaceful measures. We absolutely do not compromise with any plots or actions that violate independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; and we are determined to firmly protect the interests of the nation and the people,”, stressed the General Secretary.

7:06'

Military parade begins...

The parade was attended by around 40,000 people, featuring 87 formations, including 4 colour guard units, 13 civilian contingents, 22 army contingents, 3 militia and guerrilla contingents, 17 police contingents, 14 military vehicle and artillery formations, 9 special police vehicle formations, and a Red Flag formation.

Four military formations from Russia, China, Laos and Cambodia also joined the parade.