Tanks and armored vehicles join National Day parade rehearsal

The evening opened with ceremony and sound. At 8 p.m., the national anthem swelled across Ba Dinh Square as Brigade 45 Artillery fired a 21-gun salute at My Dinh Stadium. A torch relay carried the "sacred flame" from the Ho Chi Minh Museum to the square, where it was handed to Lt. Gen. Nguyen Duc Soat, a People’s Armed Forces Hero.

Minutes later, the formations stepped off toward the reviewing stand, led by the national emblem set on a Dong Son bronze drum. Representatives of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups marched ahead of the Party flag and national flag, followed by a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh and the insignia marking the 80th anniversary of National Day.

Crowds turned the capital into a street concert. LED screens at August Revolution Square drew throngs who sang revolutionary songs; volunteers led choruses along Cua Nam and Trang Tien. Grandstands seating 30,000 were filled hours before start time. Along Lieu Giai–Dao Tan near the Lotte building, families picnicked under the overpass to secure views; by the Opera House, hundreds filmed the Red Flag unit as it passed. An elderly veteran at August Revolution Square cheered from a wheelchair and received a handshake from a young soldier; elsewhere, troops returning to assembly points formed heart shapes with their arms in response to the crowd.

People capture photos and cheers as soldiers march at the third rehearsal for the 80th National Day parade in Hanoi, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Female formations and police units set an early tone of precision: the Women’s Military Band from the Honor Guard, Female Traffic Police and Special Police units, and cadet blocks from the People’s Police academies and military schools all marched through Ba Dinh. Command groups led by Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Thai escorted the military colors past the dais.

Heavy equipment showcased the breadth of Vietnam’s ground, coastal and air-defense capabilities. Coastal-and ground-attack "Truong Son" missile batteries, using domestically developed Song Hong missiles, rolled past alongside 4K44 Redut-M coastal launchers and Russia’s K-300P Bastion-P system, which fires supersonic Oniks anti-ship missiles. A Scud-B (R-17E) tactical ballistic missile launcher joined the column, followed by 2S1 Gvozdika 122-mm self-propelled howitzers.

Vietnam’s defense industry highlighted the locally built XCB-01 infantry fighting vehicle, a 15-ton, air-conditioned carrier with a 73-mm main gun, coaxial machine gun, 12.7-mm anti-aircraft gun and B72 anti-tank missile, configured for a three-person crew and eight fully equipped soldiers. The tank block featured the T-90SK, equipped with enhanced communications/navigation and Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor, followed by T-62 main battle tanks.

Modern domains also took the spotlight. Electronic warfare troops, cyber warfare units, and logistics and defense-industry officers marched in sequence, underscoring digital transformation, protection of critical information systems, and indigenous R&D. A formation of female military medical officers, veterans of disaster and epidemic response, preceded cadet units trained to master advanced weapons and equipment.

International solidarity was visible throughout: Russian, Laotian and Cambodian soldiers marched past Ba Dinh to loud applause, reflecting long-standing defense ties and regional cooperation.

Away from the square, the city became a corridor of spectators. Quan Ngua Stadium served as a final assembly hub; Nguyen Thai Hoc and Hung Vuong were packed shoulder-to-shoulder for hours; on Trang Tien, volunteers created a sea of mobile-phone lights as armored vehicles and artillery units headed for staging. Along the route, young fans drummed and chanted for each passing block.

Troops march on Trang Tien Street in Hanoi at the third rehearsal for the 80th National Day parade in Hanoi, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Wednesday’s rehearsal tested choreography, communications and crowd management ahead of the Sept. 2 parade. With the anthem, torch relay, foreign formations and heavy hardware all in sync, and the capital’s residents turning out in festive red, the run-through set the stage for Vietnam’s 80th National Day celebration.