Su-30MK2 fighter jets fire flares in air show above central Ho Chi Minh City

The Su-30MK2 jets split into different directions before firing flares.

Flares, or heat traps, part of an active defense mechanism designed to protect aircraft from infrared-guided anti-aircraft missiles. On the Su-30MK2, it is mounted at the rear of the aircraft.

A group of four Su-30MK2s fly above the flares.

Contrails stretch hundreds of meters across the city skyline.

Three Yak-130 training aircraft perform aerobatic maneuvers above the Bitexco building.

Fighter jets fly over the Ben Thanh Market area in downtown District 1.

A formation of 10 helicopters carrying national and Communist Party flags head toward Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam, located about 5 kilometers from the parade site.