Aging veterans struggle for a spot to witness National Day parade in Hanoi

The veteran had served in battlefields in the North, South, Laos, and Cambodia between 1965 and 1988, and was a soldier with wounds graded 4/4 and a former deputy head of training at the Military Zone 9 Officers School.

After missing the April 30 parade in HCMC during the 50th anniversary of national reunification, Cac is determined to be in Hanoi on Sept. 2. “I want to see our nation’s strength to report to my fallen comrades,” he has told his daughter.

Without an invitation to enter Ba Dinh Square for the grand celebration, Yen feared her father would not be able to stand in the crowd in the 38-40 degrees Celsius heat. “He is old and wounded. He certainly cannot endure the jostling by tens of thousands of people.”

Her family tried several options like booking hotel rooms and cafés that overlook the parade route, but failed. Prime spots had sold out early. The few remaining were overpriced and offered no guarantee of avoiding the chaos.

Running out of ideas, Minh Yen went online for advice from Hanoi residents. But the veteran refused to let his daughter ask for favors. “I cannot use my veteran status to make demands. Let me watch the parade like everyone else.”

Veteran Tran Van Thanh with his belongings before traveling from Vinh City in Nghe An Province, to HCMC to watch the April 30, 2025, parade. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Toan

Nguyen Trang of Hung Yen Province faces a similar problem as her 87-year-old grandfather and veteran, Le Nguyen Phuc, wants to go to Hanoi for the celebrations.

Phuc fought in the southern battlefield and has for long wished to see troops march through Ba Dinh Square. He has repeatedly asked his family about the parade schedule. He says he wants to go “on behalf of fallen comrades” as this could be his last chance.

The family is concerned about his health and lack of an invitation. “The trip from Hung Yen to Hanoi, the waiting and moving through a sea of people, are too great a challenge for an 87-year-old,” Trang says.

The family requested an official invitation through the commune veterans association, but the process was complicated and the demand was high, and so it did not bear fruit.

They now hope the organizers can arrange seating for elderly veterans coming from across the country like their grandfather to watch the parade.

Parade viewers, including veterans, slept on Ton Duc Thang Street in HCMC on the night of April 29 while waiting for the celebrations in the morning. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Seating arrangement for veterans at the parade has sparked public interest and online debates in recent weeks. People referred to an incident during the April 30 parade where two veterans were disrespected by younger spectators.

Some say designated seating is the solution but opinions are divided and others point out that organizers struggle with limited seating and need public understanding.

But many believe that providing seats for veterans is the best way to honor them. “It does not have to be the central grandstand, just a dedicated area where they can watch with dignity.”

HCMC-based psychologist Nguyen Thi Tam suggests that veterans’ determination to watch the parade comes from a deep psychological place.

At their age any major national event could be their last and a chance for them to relive heroic memories and reaffirm the value of their own sacrifices and those of their comrades, she points out.

“For soldiers, the army and battlefield are part of their identity. Watching the parade shows that their glorious past has helped shape the nation’s proud present.”

Many people agree that they must live and witness the nation’s joyful days on behalf of their fallen comrades.

Bui Thi An, chairwoman of the Hanoi Association of Women Intellectuals and a former National Assembly member, says the organizers should consider veterans’ families’ requests but acknowledges it is impossible to seat all veterans in the 30,000-seat grandstand at Ba Dinh Square given there are three million of them nationwide.

She suggests other solutions. Instead of relying on ad-hoc family registrations, organizers should work with veterans associations to identify those who wish to attend and are healthy enough, she says. Based on this list, they could set up priority viewing areas such as additional grandstands or separate seating sections along the parade route, with medical and volunteer support.

She also suggests using existing infrastructure by organizing live viewing locations at cultural centers or halls. This will ensure safety and comfort for veterans in cool, sheltered spaces and preserve the ceremony’s solemn atmosphere, she adds.