Tourists camp on Hanoi sidewalks for days to secure National Day parade view

By the afternoon of Aug. 31, Hung Vuong and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets had turned into makeshift campsites. Three strangers: Nguyen Thi Thuy from Lai Chau, Pham Xuan Su from Ninh Binh, and Pham Thi Len from Hung Yen quickly bonded like neighbors despite meeting only hours earlier. They promised to hold each other’s spots whenever someone needed a restroom break or to buy food.

Thuy had arrived on Aug. 29, watched the full-dress rehearsal the next morning, and then abandoned her rented room for the pavement. She stocked up on green bean cakes, compressed rations and bottled water, and carefully rationed her portable fan and phone battery with no charging outlets in sight.

Su, a former soldier, had already traveled to Ho Chi Minh City for the Apr. 30 parade marking 50 years of reunification. This time, he came alone to Hanoi for the anniversary with a backpack full of scorched rice, honey, medicine and dry rations.

"Two nights on the street is nothing," he said, adding he would feel "guilty" not showing up to support the troops who had drilled for months.

Crowds gather on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street under tents on Aug. 31, 2025. Photo by Tu Nguyen

Nearby, 60-year-old Thu Cuc from Thai Binh braced herself for two nights outside after her nephew told her: "Forty years from now, will you still be alive to see this again?" Four hours into her vigil she admitted fatigue but insisted she would hold out.

Military-erected tents along Nguyen Thai Hoc soon filled to 60% capacity as families claimed their spots. Nguyen Van Nhat from Hoa Lac brought 10 relatives, including children, and praised the shaded shelters and nearby public restrooms. The group split duties: some adults took the kids to see the war film Red Rain, while others sat guard. On Sept. 1, they planned to rotate again so everyone could enjoy Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake.

Food has been affordable, Nhat said, surprised that boxed rice meals cost only VND40,000 ($1.52) despite the holiday rush.

At Hanoi Railway Station, the tents were still quiet on Aug. 31, allowing Nguyen Thu Huong from Hai Phong to pick a comfortable corner soon after stepping off her train at 6 p.m. With hotel rooms near the parade route long sold out, and cheaper options elsewhere costing VND1–1.5 million a night, Huong’s family of three decided to camp instead. She noted the station’s rest areas and plentiful food stalls, but still planned to scout Nguyen Thai Hoc the next morning in hopes of moving closer.

The parade to mark the 80th anniversaryof the August Revolution and National Day, Sept. 2, set to begin at 6:30 a.m. in Ba Dinh Square, will feature nearly 16,000 participants from the military and police. 43 marching formations, 18 standing blocks, and 14 groups of armored and specialized vehicles will roll through the capital, joined by air and naval contingents in one of the country’s largest peacetime displays of force.