Second joint rehearsal of march-past, parade for 80th National Day commemoration took place in Hà Nội

Thousands of officers, soldiers and citizens gathered at Ba Đình Square on August 24 for the second and final combined rehearsal of the A80 mission, gearing up for Việt Nam’s grand National Day celebrations on September 2.

Participating forces in the military parade and march for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2) (a.k.a A80 mission) carried out their second joint rehearsal at Ba Đình Square, Hà Nội, on Sunday night.

This marked the final combined-force rehearsal before the forces proceed to preliminary rehearsal (set for Wednesday, August 27, at 9pm) and full national-level dress rehearsal (August 30, from 7am), leading up to the official ceremony on September 2.

Tonight rehearsal was attended and directed by Politburo member Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, and Head of the Commission for Mass Mobilisation; and General Phan Văn Giang, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence.

From early in the morning, large crowds of people gathered along the capital’s major streets that are part of the parade route to witness the event. To ensure safety and smooth movement of the formations, army and police units worked with Hà Nội authorities to implement extensive plans for security and traffic control.

As part of the rehearsal, the Artillery–Missile Command’s Brigade 45 conducted a ceremonial gun salute with 63 blank rounds fired from the national Mỹ Đình Stadium. Nearly 60 personnel, manning 15 guns grouped into five units, executed 21 volleys to Việt Nam’s national anthem. During the official celebration, ceremonial 105mm rounds will be used in place of blanks.

Nearly 16,000 officers and soldiers took part in the main event at Ba Đình Square, including 43 marching formations (26 military and 17 police), three foreign contingents (Lao, Cambodian, and Russian troops – similar to the first joint rehearsal on August 21), 18 standing blocks, and 14 mechanised columns of military and police equipment.

For the first time in 40 years since 1985, the anniversary parade at Ba Đình Square will feature large-scale displays of military hardware, including missile systems, UAVs, and combat vehicles designed and produced domestically, alongside upgraded tanks, artillery, and rocket systems.

Police formations will showcase specialised vehicles for escort, crowd control, armoured protection, mobile command, fire-fighting and rescue.

After the ceremonial section, the parade advanced past the grandstand in front of Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum in formations that included: the National Emblem and Party and national flags; a vehicle carrying a portrait of President Hồ Chí Minh; symbols marking the 80th anniversary; marching contingents of the Việt Nam People’s Army, foreign militaries, militia forces, and the People’s Public Security; mechanised military and police units; and mass organisations representing workers, farmers, women, veterans, youth, overseas Vietnamese, and ethnic minorities.

The participating units demonstrated discipline, precision and high morale, reflecting the modernisation of Việt Nam’s armed forces. The synchronised formations and displays of equipment underscored their readiness for combat, regularity, and the spirit of great national unity.

Compared to the first rehearsal, mass formations representing Việt Nam’s 54 ethnic groups, veterans, police retirees, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, women, overseas Vietnamese, youth and cultural-sports sectors showed marked improvement.

Upon completion of the rehearsal at Ba Đình Square, the parade units marched along several streets in the centre of Hà Nội before returning to their assembly areas. — VNS

Below are the photos of the troops marching through the streets of Hà Nội prior to and before the march-past in Ba Đình Square: