Hanoi - where pride wears red
In the last days of August, Hang Ma, Hang Luoc, Dinh Tien Hoang streets or around Hoan Kiem Lake were flooded with the red color of flags, banners, and slogans. Gen Z in Hanoi considered this a "stage" to prepare for September 2. They "hunted" for products printed with yellow stars, red scarves, or small, pretty accessories such as hair clips, bracelets, and cloth bags with symbolic colors. Many young people took the opportunity to take photos before the holiday on the streets filled with red flags with yellow stars or at historical sites, both to preserve memories and to have content to post on social networks.
Hanh Hanh, a travel blogger currently living in Hanoi, shared that she bought a scarf printed with the red flag with a yellow star to take a photo album of Hanoi streets filled with flags and flowers before National Day. “Every year on September 2, I want to have a new photo album, to see myself gradually growing up through each holiday season. It’s like a youth diary, with the national flag as the highlight throughout,” Hanh said.
Not only stopping at costumes, Gen Z Hanoi also prepares for community events. The concert "Fatherland in the Heart" or historical programs and events in August such as "Hanoi - from the historic autumn of 1945", "Proud to be Vietnamese" at Ba Dinh Square this year attracted a large number of young people to participate. Minh Thu, a student at a university in Hanoi, said that she had booked events taking place before September 2 to participate, but buying tickets was extremely difficult, especially the concert "Fatherland in the Heart" taking place on August 10. "Participating in the intense battle to buy tickets, I saw that there were many people, young people like me, also eager to join in the atmosphere of national pride," Thu said.
Gen Z eagerly joins in the atmosphere of national pride at collective events
Before the important event on September 2, Gen Z's excitement was clearly shown through countdown stories, check-in plans, and preparations of items and equipment to "camp overnight" on the parade route. Thanh Hien (24 years old, Thai Nguyen) and his girlfriend also planned to participate in A80. Hien researched the parade routes, viewing locations, bought shirts and national flags, prepared water bottles, fans, power banks, folding chairs or tarps to be able to sit and watch most comfortably.
On the evening of August 21, the parade rehearsal attracted a large number of people of all ages, including many young people from Gen Z. Social networks were flooded with images and videos recording the sound of drums and trumpets filling the night sky, the sweet melody, and the footsteps of the parade groups walking amidst the cheers and applause of the people. In that atmosphere, Hanh Hanh felt the closeness and affection of a big family.
Young people waited from afternoon to night to watch the parade practice and march on August 21.
On social networks, in addition to clips of military parades and marching exercises, there are young people who practice filming dance covers to revolutionary songs to post on social platforms during holidays, turning patriotism into a creative trend.
Other provinces - diverse preparations, diverse choices
If Hanoi is as bright as a central stage, in other provinces and cities, Gen Z is also preparing for the September 2 holiday in many rich ways. Bich Phuong, Ho Chi Minh City, has booked a flight to Hanoi before National Day, August 26, with a round-trip ticket price of about 3 million VND. Phuong plans to attend the rehearsal on August 27 and the official performance on September 2. "Most of the hotels near the parade area are full, so I plan to find cafes that are open all night to wait," Phuong shared.
In Ho Chi Minh City, homestays and local cafes also take advantage of the opportunity to decorate flags and banners to attract young visitors to check in. Meanwhile, many young people like Vu Ngoc Dong Pha's group, 21 years old, invite each other to "travel back to the past" at historical destinations right in the heart of the city. The Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum or the longest mural street in Vietnam - Nguyen Huu Canh have become familiar dating places these days because not only are entrance tickets free but also create a vivid experience, helping young people connect directly with national memories. Many Gen Z groups also print their own uniforms and hire photographers to accompany them to record that "memory journey" like a youth documentary.
Some young people even have bold ideas like two young men who walked for more than 2 months from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to watch the September 2 parade, namely Cao Le Tuan Tu, a freelancer in Ho Chi Minh City and Nguyen Xuan Duy, a student at a university in Hanoi. Both of them started from the Reunification Hall, Ho Chi Minh City on June 5, the same day Uncle Ho left to find a way to save the country at Ben Nha Rong, as a meaningful start. On average, Tu and Duy travel about 20 km per day. It is expected that by the end of August, both of them will be in Hanoi and will visit some places before joining the crowd attending the National Day celebration.
Two boys walked from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to attend National Day
There are also those who choose a different path, investing in a vacation, renting a homestay with a mountain view to "change sleeping places", as they jokingly call it. The holiday becomes an opportunity to temporarily put aside deadlines, spend a few days watching the sunrise, and breathe fresh air. In Moc Chau, responding to the National Day atmosphere on September 2, the people here simultaneously hung red flags with yellow stars along the roads leading to the village, becoming a check-in point for some Gen Z to express a bit of pride even during their healing trips.
Many young people check in with the red flag with yellow star during their medical tourism trip.
Not only in the country, Vietnamese Gen Z abroad also find their own ways to prepare. Bui Hong Hanh, currently living in Japan, said she booked tickets with her husband and young children to return to Vietnam to "celebrate Independence Day". At home, the atmosphere of preparation is more intimate. Many young people leave the city, return to their hometowns to reunite with their families, clean up with their parents, and hang flags in front of the gate. Those simple images remind us of the deepest meaning of National Day: connection, gratitude, and reunion.
In all of these preparations - from hunting for yellow star-printed T-shirts on Hang Ma Street, to long trips to "change sleeping places", from decorating a small room into a red flag studio, to bustling exhibitions and concerts, Gen Z is showing that they are not standing outside of tradition, but continue to renew it with their creativity and generational language.
National Day September 2, from the perspective of Gen Z, is not just a holiday, but also an occasion to define patriotism in a youthful, modern and inspiring way.
