Fifteen ceremonial cannons were positioned at Bach Dang Wharf Park in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on Monday morning, drawing excited crowds as the city prepares for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of southern Vietnam and Reunification Day (April 30).

The cannons, each weighing 4–5 metric tons, were brought to the park on Sunday night by the Vietnam People’s Army’s Artillery Corps, which is also overseeing their installation and protection.

The artillery team will fire a 21-gun salute as the national anthem of Vietnam plays on the morning of April 30.

Visitors and locals are allowed to take photos near the cannons but are not permitted to touch them.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen real cannons up close,” said Vien Anh, a local resident posing for photos near the site.

“Our city is preparing for a truly large-scale and magnificent celebration. 

“The other day I saw helicopters and fighter jets flying overhead, and now the cannons have been installed. I feel incredibly proud and thrilled."

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense, after conducting site surveys, selected Bach Dang Wharf Park as the location for the ceremonial cannons. 

The area was deemed spacious, solemn, and suitable for an artillery emplacement, while also allowing the public to observe the artillery display.

The Ho Chi Minh City Military Command was tasked with reinforcing the ground surface with concrete to support the heavy equipment, while the District 1 authorities handled the relocation of lighting fixtures, benches, and landscaping elements.

To ensure clear views of helicopter displays, trees along nearby Ton Duc Thang Street have been pruned.

After the Reunification Day holiday, District 1 authorities will restore the area’s landscaping.

The cannon salute is part of a larger program that includes aerial displays and a grand parade.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, confirmed that the Reunification Day festivities will also feature aerial flyovers by 13 helicopters, nine Yak-130 jets, and seven Su-30MK2 fighter aircraft; a procession of vehicles carrying models of the national emblem, the Party's flag, the national flag, a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, and a model symbolizing 50 years of Vietnam’s reunification; and military, militia, and police parades.

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