A grand program including a meeting, a military parade and some marches took place in Hanoi on Wednesday morning to celebrate Vietnam’s August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2). About 30,000 soldiers, militiamen and civilians took part in the program on Ba Dinh Square and a number of streets in the capital, according to the national committee on the organization of major anniversaries in 2014-15. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and other former and incumbent Party and Government leaders were among the attendees. The event was also attended by the delegations of Laos and Cambodia.

Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang (C) speaks at the meeting in Hanoi on September 2, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A national flag-saluting ceremony on Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The grand meeting to commemorate the 70th anniversaries of the August Revolution and National Day began at 7:00 am under the steering of Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

After a torchlight procession, national flag-saluting ceremonies were conducted in 12 locations in the capital city. At the same time, a 21-gun salute was performed to commemorate the anniversaries. In a speech to mark the occasions, President Sang reviewed major landmarks in the country’s revolutionary history under the leadership of late President Ho Chi Minh, including the victory of the August Revolution on August 19, 1945 that led to the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945.

Blocks of people are seen on Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

President Sang also reviewed the Dien Bien Phu victory over French colonialists on May 7, 1954 and the triumph of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, which resulted in national reunification on April 30 that year. Over the past 30 years during which the Party has applied the Doi Moi (Renovation) policy, Vietnam has made great achievements in various fields, including social and economic development, President Sang said. As a result, Vietnam has continuously developed to become an emerging country with its people having stable life from a poor and backward nation, the president added.

A scene of the meeting on Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Following the president’s speech, a massive military parade featuring varied weaponry kicked off at 7:35 am under the command of Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Khanh, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army.  Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, standing in a commanding car, led the first units of the Vietnamese people’s armed forces to enter the square. These units were followed by a group of border guard officers and a formation of the Vietnam Coast Guard.

A part of the military parade is seen on Kim Ma Street, Hanoi on September 2, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The next group consisted of military doctors and health workers, tailed by air defense and air force units.  The meeting also welcomed the parade of police units, firefighters, and other forces.  The military parade was complemented by artistic marches centered on “Vietnam – Aspiration for Peace,” which was performed by about 2,500 artists, craftsmen, and students of art schools. After these art performances, the program wrapped up at 8:45 am.

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