The sacred flag-raising ceremony on the historic April 30th

Leang Tepkannitha, a Cambodian interested in learning about the history of countries, is currently a second-year student at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. Leang said: “April 30 is a big Vietnamese holiday, marking Vietnam's reunification.”

Ms. Leang Tepkannitha, a Cambodian, was impressed with the flag-raising ceremony at Ba Dinh Square on April 30. (Photo: Vietnam Times)

Leang's strongest impression of April 30 is the image that all the streets where she lives are covered with red flags. Hanoi becomes colorful with flags, flowers, and banners to welcome and celebrate the big holiday. For Leang, hanging the flag is very important, which reminds the unification day of Vietnam, therefore showing solidarity, the national pride, and the fact that the Vietnamese always love and cherish peace.

Leang remembered seeing the flag-raising ceremony Ba Dinh Square for the first time on April 30. She said, from early in the morning, people living in the capital gathered in Ba Dinh Square to witness the sacred ceremony. Right at 5:30 am, loudspeakers asked everyone to stop all activities around Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and solemnly prepare for the flag-raising ceremony. The procession departed from behind the mausoleum while the heroic music played. Right after the command to salute the flag, the Vietnamese national anthem heard, and the flag was hung in the wind. The flag was raised slowly to the highest end of the flagpole of 29m, flying in the dawn, at the same time when the national anthem finished.

The ceremony did not last long, but the solemnity and atmosphere made Leang extremely emotional. “Definitely from that moment, I fell in love with Vietnam a lot more”, she shared.

Khamla Intaphom (Lao nationality), a student at the Academy of Journalism and Communication, said that in 2021, due to the epidemic, travel was limited. But this year, he feels the fresh atmosphere of the big holiday in Vietnam, when the street is decorated with red flags with yellow stars, greeting gates, and beautiful banners. During this holiday, Khamla Intaphom plans to visit a close friend in Vietnam whose father is a soldier.

Ms. Sengphachanh Vanlaserm (Lao nationality) will visit Ha Long Bay with her class. “Vietnam has a lot of beautiful scenes, friendly and attentive people, and increasingly clean and convenient streets. I'm about to finish my studies in Vietnam and will soon return to my country to work, so I won't miss it,” she said.

On this day, Mr. Khamphet Heugoudom (Lao nationality) often finds ways to explore Hanoi city. He and his Lao friends visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi Museum, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hoa Lo Relic... Maikheun Boualaphanh excitedly shared that he would go to the West Lake or Sword Lake. Meanwhile, Thittaphone Leuansakda was invited to her house by friends on the occasion of April 30.

Discover and experience the beauty and culture of Vietnam

Being an English Teacher in Vietnam for 5 years, Pablo Arteaga (coming from Uruguay) has experienced and participated in many big holidays in Vietnam.

Mr. Pablo in Lai Chau with Hmong children. (Photo: Vietnam Times)

When asked about April 30, he excitedly said that it is Vietnam's big holiday, the day to free the South and reunify the country. Pablo shared that everyone around where he lives and works is busy preparing for this holiday. There are many flags, flowers, and banners on the street, which create a joyful atmosphere.

On this same day last year, Pablo had a trip to Lai Chau with his friends to discover the life of the Hmong people. This year, they plan to go to Cat Ba island. He looks forward to discovering and experiencing many other places in Vietnam.

Coming from Cuba, Ms. Eli Alfonso has lived and worked in Hanoi for 6 years. Eli said Vietnamese friends told her that April 30 is a special day for Vietnamese people to celebrate the day of national reunification, to remember the merits of their predecessors, who sacrificed themselves for independence and freedom of their nation.

“These days, when I go out on the street, I see a lot of banners displayed. Especially in the area of ​​​​​Lenin flower garden, I see the greetings of April 30 and May 1 with very beautiful and colorful flowers,” shared Eli Alfonso.

Having lived in Vietnam for 5 years, participated in several television programs such as “When in Vietnam, do as the Vietnamese do”, “Vietnam Discovery”, etc. Yazan Safi (Syrian) said: “I feel proud of Vietnamese people on this day; you can see the joyful and glowing atmosphere on the streets.”

On the holiday this year, Yazan will go to the Y Ty highland of Lao Cai province. Yazan went to Y Ty a few times and found this place to be very green with a poetic setting. Being a person who likes to experience different cultures, Yazan finds it especially interesting to discover the customs and habits of the ethnic people here.

As for Travis Vetr, an American who fell in love with Vietnam at first sight, despite being very busy, he still felt the eager and eager atmosphere on April 30. Mr. Travis feels that on this day, Vietnamese people are as happy as during Tet; they arrange a time to return to their homeland. He added that these days, his students feel extremely excited when participating in meaningful outdoor activities.

Positive energy on a special day

Meghan Frisch is an American who has lived in Vietnam since 2012 and married a Vietnamese man.

Meghan Frisch has lived in Vietnam for 10 years. (Photo: Vietnam Times)

Meghan finds it interesting to see the red flags hanging in front of the doors of Vietnamese people on this occasion. Having witnessed the parade to celebrate the historic day, Meghan shared: “I see the respect and affection Vietnamese people have for their country. On normal days, Hanoi is always always. But on this occasion, the city becomes quite peaceful and fresh in the morning. Life seems to slow down a bit. After that, the traffic becomes busier when Vietnamese people motorbike rides into the city center to wave a red flag with a yellow star to show their love for their country. There was a lot of positive energy on this day,” shared Meghan.

Meghan and her family decided to stay in Hanoi to enjoy the holidays. In the past few years, her family went to the city center on the morning of April 30 to watch the parade, then they would go for a walk around the quiet streets of the city, which were usually very busy and crowded, to experience a slower pace of life./.

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