How do foreigners living in Hanoi feel about National Day?

Alexandra Rud has been living and working as a professional DJ in Vietnam for seven years. Though she came to Vietnam at the suggestion of a friend who had been there before, the two-week trip left her with a good impression of the country and its people.

DJ and pianist Alexandra Rud is currently living in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the artist

Then came her chance to return to Vietnam when she received an invitation to teach English, piano, drawing, and dance at a private school in Haiphong City.

Speaking on the National Day celebration, she stated: "I see that the National Day on September 2 is the largest holiday of the year in Vietnam, aside from the traditional New Year. I can tell that everyone in Vietnam is looking forward to this occasion."

According to Rud, people hang the national flag in front of their houses, and the streets are decorated with flowers and flags, taking her and all other Vietnamese and foreign visitors back to the events of September 2, 1945.

"I know through friends and social media that many Vietnamese families see this as an opportunity to travel or prepare their children for an exciting new school year. There are great arts and performance programs everywhere. The atmosphere really makes everyone happy," she said.

Rud often has a packed schedule for performances around National Day celebrations, but in her spare time, she likes to travel to different towns to unwind and learn more about Vietnam.

For French pianist and director François Bibonne, Vietnam's historical anniversaries, especially the National Day, always evoke special emotions.

As a Franco-Vietnamese living in Hanoi, he embraces the Vietnamese people and feels love and pride on National Day. He finds the national anthem especially enchanting when it is performed by an orchestra and choir such as the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

Franco-Vietnamese director François Bibonne always feels special when Vietnam's National Day comes around. Photo courtesy of the artist

He never misses the opportunity to watch concerts and political art programs on television on this occasion.

During the celebration, many art programs are held, combining artworks and political ceremonies, expressing national pride and welcoming everyone to participate, regardless of where they come from or their nationality.

"National Day is a source of pride for everyone in every country. But I see that in Vietnam this spirit is more evident. Maybe it is because the Vietnamese people and country had to sacrifice a lot to have this Independence Day. Because I have been here for a long time, I also feel a little bit of the Vietnamese spirit in me. On this National Day, I would like to wish the country and people of Vietnam all the best. I hope that Vietnam will soon become an Asian dragon as the people and government of Vietnam expect," he said.

François Bibonne believes that National Day is a great celebration for any country, regardless of its political system.

"While new tensions are rising in Europe and the Middle East, Vietnam has shown great peace spirit and wise strategies in its economic policies. On this occasion, the people of the whole country will unite, look back at the past, remember the national heroes, and also inspire the generations to believe in a sustainable future, because a country needs stability to develop," the artist said.

François Bibonne is the director of the documentary film "Once Upon a Bridge in Vietnam", which has received national and international media acclaim. Last July, the film was screened at the Ruthin International Arts Festival (RIAF) 2024, impressing British and international audiences.

Speaking about the movie, he said: "Since I was a child, I lived with my Vietnamese grandmother, who loved music and always encouraged me to play the instrument. After she passed away, I suddenly realized that I needed to know more about her roots, Vietnam, through music. That's how the idea for the movie was born."

For François Bibonne, the footage is the door that helps him approach and understand more about the music and unique indigenous culture of Vietnam, and at the same time, he wants to give viewers new and interesting perspectives on the country.

The film repeatedly uses the image of the bridge as a metaphor to show connections, such as the connection between France and Vietnam, between Vietnamese music and Western music, and between the past and the future.