Vietnamese national flag flies high at Ba Dinh Square to celebrate 50 years of national reunification
Thousands of people gather at Ba Dinh Square to witness the flag hoisting ceremony and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).
THE HANOI TIMES — Ba Dinh Square hosted a solemn flag-raising ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 – April 30, 2025).
Thirty-four soldiers from the Command for the Protection of President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum marched into Ba Dinh Square to perform the flag-raising ritual. The squad symbolizes the first 34 soldiers of the original Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army Team, the predecessor of the Vietnam People's Army. Photo: Ngoc Tu/The Hanoi Times
Leading the formation was the "Determined to Win" military flag. The team marched to the stirring tune of Tien buoc duoi quan ky (Marching Under the Military Flag) toward the flagpole.
In the sacred moments of the ceremony, the national flag was hoisted high against the sky of Ba Dinh Square, under a dignified and heroic atmosphere. Thousands of citizens gathered around the square to witness the special flag-raising ceremony.
As the powerful notes of the national anthem, Tien quan ca (Marching Song), Vietnam’s national anthem, echoed through the air, hundreds of people at Ba Dinh Square instinctively stood at attention, facing the flag with reverence, admiration, and deep patriotic pride.
Immediately after the ceremony, citizens queued in an orderly line to pay respects at President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. On this historic day, thousands were expected to visit the Mausoleum to honor the beloved leader.
The idea of holding the flag-raising and lowering ceremonies at Ba Dinh Square was approved by the Government on May 19, 2001, to commemorate the 111th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.
Also on April 30, the Hanoi People’s Committee, in coordination with the Command for the Protection of President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, gave bread, milk, and water to locals and visitors coming to pay tribute at the Mausoleum.
This activity is part of an annual program expressing Hanoi’s warm hospitality to people from across the country and tourists visiting the capital. In 2025, the program will provide a total of 111,000 gift packages on major national holidays.
Specifically, 50,000 gifts will be offered during the commemorations of the Liberation of the South (April 30) and International Labor Day (May 1), 25,000 gifts for the 135th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19), and 35,000 gifts on the occasion of the 80th National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2).
