Since June, many parade units have been present in Hanoi to enter a rigorous training period, preparing for the A80 mission in the important national celebration. The training schedule takes place regularly every day: morning from 6am - 10am, afternoon from 3pm - 6pm. In between the rigorous training hours, about an hour, the soldiers have about 20 minutes of rest to regain strength.
"The biggest difficulty in the training process is not only the high technical requirements, but the soldiers must also practice 7 hours a day. In addition, if they feel weak in any content, they will practice to strengthen that content in the evening; if they do not practice, the time will be spent on cultural activities, practicing folk dances, reading newspapers...", Mr. Ho Van Hoang, Political Commissar of the Men's Militia and Self-Defense Force Company, shared.
The blocks practice under the sun, each movement requires high concentration, the team steps in sync, demonstrating strict discipline in each practice session.
Mr. Ho Van Hoang, Political Commissar of the Southern Militia and Self-Defense Force Company
Besides the difficulties, the active encouragement from the people helped the soldiers maintain a great source of spiritual motivation. Mr. Hoang said, "I remember most a training session under the scorching hot weather, after a very tiring training session, there was an unexpected situation, the Command Board organized a joint training session at the end of the session. When preparing to step across the stands, the soldiers and I saw a lot of people cheering. I felt that the support made all the efforts of the soldiers pay off, everyone was very happy and fulfilled. During the training process, the affection and encouragement from the people were the most memorable memories".
Mr. Dong Van Tam, a soldier of the Men's Militia and Self-Defense Force Company, added: "I feel honored and proud to participate in the A80 mission. And along with that are unforgettable emotions about the break time, when people came to visit, give gifts, talk, and exchange cultural and artistic activities."
Those emotions of the soldiers became clearer during breaks, when they received bottles of water, participated in cultural exchanges or simply chatted with the people.
There were some really special moments, when a group of students came to the training ground early in the morning to watch the parade and celebrate birthdays with the soldiers.
"This is a joint birthday of the four of us that we want to celebrate together with the birthdays of the August soldiers. We are organizing this to preserve our youthful memories and to encourage and motivate the soldiers who are participating in the A80 mission," said Dang Thanh Hai, a representative of the student group.
Talking about unforgettable things during the parade practice, Nguyen Thanh Duy, Air Defense - Air Force Officer Block (standing third from the left) shared: "The time here was quite hard, the weather was hot, I had to wake up early in the morning, and the training was tiring. But practicing here, people cheered me on, and teammates encouraged each other to try. There were many difficulties but it was a lot of fun, later on, this is probably the time I remember most in my life."
The soldiers' training efforts left an impression on the people present at the training ground. Observing the atmosphere at the training ground, Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Yen and her friends traveled more than 300 kilometers from Nghe An to Hanoi with the desire to see the entire parade. "We came here from Nghe An, wanting to witness the training atmosphere, with national pride and love for the country. As a Vietnamese child, I am extremely proud, looking at the soldiers, I feel as close as a mother's love for her children. I love my children for their efforts, perseverance in practicing each movement, each precise step to bring the best image on the occasion of the great national holiday. How many times have I had to arrange work to be able to go today, even though it's raining, I'm still determined to come here at least once."
Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Yen and her friends traveled more than 300 kilometers from Nghe An to Hanoi with the hope of watching the entire parade.
"Before leaving, I prepared a scarf, a red flag with a yellow star, and a fan printed with a yellow star to both inspire myself and spread love for my homeland," Ms. Yen added. Ms. Yen's words continued the story of the pride and motivation that the people brought to the soldiers. The looks, smiles, and even the moments of taking photos, chatting, and singing with the people during breaks all became memorable memories, helping the soldiers to actively maintain their motivation throughout the training process.
The big holiday is approaching, every step, every movement of the militia and self-defense force is the distillation of many days of training under the sun and wind. Behind the arduous training hours is the pride of being present in the sacred moment of the country. And it is the companionship and encouragement of the people that has added strength to those steps to be more steady in Ba Dinh Square on the upcoming big holiday.
Accordingly, the parade practice and rehearsal schedule is expected to take place at 8pm on August 21 and 8pm on August 24; preliminary rehearsal at 8pm on August 27; and final rehearsal at 6:30am on August 30. The official ceremony will begin at 6:30am on September 2.
