Hà Nội extends road closures, shut schools for rehearsals ahead of 80th National Day's parade

Road closures in the capital will be extended from 11.30am on August 21 to 3am on August 22 to facilitate the first joint rehearsal for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

Hà Nội Police announced on Wednesday that road closures in the capital will be extended from 11.30am on August 21 to 3am on August 22 to facilitate the first joint rehearsal for celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day to be held on September 2.

The rehearsal will take place from 8pm on August 21. Compared with an earlier notice on August 13, the duration of traffic restrictions has been extended by more than five hours.

Below is an interactive map that denotes the streets which are completely closed to vehicles in coral:

The list of streets completely closed to vehicles remains unchanged, including:

Hoàng Hoa Thám, Thụy Khuê (from Hùng Vương to Văn Cao), Mai Xuân Thưởng, Quán Thánh, Phan Đình Phùng, Hùng Vương, Thanh Niên, Hoàng Văn Thụ, Độc Lập, Điện Biên Phủ, Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, Chùa Một Cột, Lê Hồng Phong, Ông Ích Khiêm, Ngọc Hà, Bắc Sơn, Tôn Thất Đàm, Nguyễn Cảnh Chân, Hoàng Diệu, Nguyễn Tri Phương, Chu Văn An, Tôn Đức Thắng, Cát Linh, Trịnh Hoài Đức, Hàng Cháo, Trần Phú and Sơn Tây.

Additional restricted routes include Kim Mã, Liễu Giai, Văn Cao, Nghi Tàm, Yên Phụ, Cửa Bắc, Đội Cấn, La-Pho, Nguyễn Thái Học, Lê Duẩn, Trần Nhân Tông (from Lê Duẩn to Quang Trung), Tràng Thi, Hàng Khay, Tràng Tiền, Cổ Tân, Phan Chu Trinh (from Hai Bà Trưng to Tràng Tiền), Lê Thánh Tông, Tông Đản (from Lý Đạo Thành to Tràng Tiền), Trần Quang Khải, Trần Khánh Dư, Quang Trung (from Lý Thường Kiệt to Tràng Thi), Lý Thái Tổ, Nguyễn Hữu Huân, Ngô Quyền (from the State Bank of Việt Nam square to Tràng Tiền), Giảng Võ, Láng Hạ and Láng (from Láng Hạ to Trần Duy Hưng).

During this period, all vehicles within Ring Road 1 will be temporarily banned, except for security vehicles, official parade vehicles, priority vehicles, public buses, refuse collection vehicles and emergency response vehicles.

For roads between Ring Road 1 and Ring Road 2, lorries with a gross weight of 1.5 tonnes or more and coaches with 16 seats or more will be restricted. These bans will apply only briefly while the parade convoys pass through, after which normal traffic will resume.

In addition to August 21, Hà Nội will implement further closures for the second joint rehearsal on August 24 (starting at 8pm), the preliminary review on August 27 (8pm), and the final full rehearsal on August 30 (starting at 6.30am).

Hà Nội police have provided the following detours:

Vehicles from National Highway 5, Hà Nội–Bắc Giang Expressway, and Hà Nội–Hải Phòng Expressway heading to Cầu Giẽ–Ninh Bình Expressway: Use Thanh Trì Bridge → Ring Road 3 Elevated → Đỗ Mười Interchange → Cầu Giẽ–Ninh Bình Expressway.

Vehicles from eastern provinces (Hải Phòng, Hưng Yên, Bắc Ninh) travelling to northern or northwestern provinces (Phú Thọ, Thái Nguyên, Tuyên Quang): Route via Phù Đổng Bridge → Thanh Trì Bridge → Ring Road 3 Elevated → Thăng Long Bridge → Võ Văn Kiệt; or from National Highway 5 → Nguyễn Đức Thuận → Thanh Trì Bridge access road → Phù Đổng Bridge → Hà Nội–Bắc Giang Expressway → Hà Nội–Thái Nguyên Expressway.

Vehicles from northern provinces (Thái Nguyên, Tuyên Quang, Phú Thọ) heading south (Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa): Follow National Highway 2 → Võ Văn Kiệt → Thăng Long Bridge → Ring Road 3 Elevated → Đỗ Mười Interchange → Cầu Giẽ–Ninh Bình Expressway.

Lorries weighing 10 tonnes or more travelling on the Ring Road 3 Elevated must limit exits to certain interchanges (Phạm Văn Đồng, Phạm Hùng, Khuất Duy Tiến, Nguyễn Xiển) and strictly follow the instructions of the traffic police.

Three days off for students

The Hà Nội Department of Education and Training announced that students in inner-city schools will have three days off, including August 21, 27 and 30, to ease traffic congestion during rehearsals for the parade and march.

The department’s director, Trần Thế Cương, said the decision aims to ensure student safety and smooth traffic during rehearsals.

“Schools located along the parade route or in central areas where large crowds and heavy traffic are expected will be closed,” he said.

The department will publish a detailed list of affected schools and guidelines today, applying to both public and private institutions.

In addition, these schools are required to open their facilities so residents can use restrooms and take shelter during the celebrations.

Schools in suburban districts will remain open and continue regular on-campus activities.