Russian media highlights Vietnam's grand National Day celebrations

Russia’s TASS news agency noted this was the first time since 1985 that Ba Dinh Square hosted a large-scale military parade, with diverse forces and heavy equipment on display.

Personnel of the Russian Federation's armed forces march through Ba Dinh Square in the parade on September 2, 2025. (Photo: VNA)
Personnel of the Russian Federation's armed forces march through Ba Dinh Square in the parade on September 2, 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Moscow (VNA) – Russian media outlets on September 2 carried extensive coverage of the grand military parade held in Hanoi to mark the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19, 1945– 2025) and National Day of Vietnam (September 2).

The TASS news agency reported that the parade gathered 16,000 servicemen from the Vietnam People’s Army and the People's Public Security Force, along with marching contingents from the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the People’s Liberation Army of China, the Lao People’s Army, and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

It said this was the first time since 1985 that such a large-scale military parade with diverse forces had taken place at Ba Dinh Square, featuring heavy military equipment.

The parade showcased Vietnam’s most modern weapons and military equipment, including advanced missile technology, T-90 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, air defence units, self-propelled artillery, electronic warfare vehicles and domestically produced unmanned systems. Pilots of the Vietnam Air Force demonstrated flying skills with Mi helicopters, Yak-130 trainer aircraft, and Su-30MK2 fighter jets.

High-ranking leaders from Russia, Belarus, China, Cuba, and Cambodia attended the celebrations as honorary guests. The Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Vladimirovich Yakushev, Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia Party and First Vice Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly.

The Kommersant daily ran an article describing the parade as the largest of its kind in Vietnam in decades.

It highlighted that tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of the capital carrying flags, most dressed in red. Thousands of Vietnamese troops marched alongside soldiers from China, Russia, and other countries, while Vietnam’s navy, consisting mainly of frigates and submarines, paraded in Cam Ranh Bay.

The newspaper also noted that the Vietnamese Government had provided an unprecedented cash gift of 100,000 VND (3.8 USD) per citizen to over 100 million people, and granted amnesty to more than 13,900 prisoners on the occasion.

The news site vesti.ru published an article reporting that the parade took place at Ba Dinh Square, where President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945 (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

Meanwhile, the television channel smotrim aired a feature on the parade, saying about 40,000 people joined the march, with 87 formations. Thirty aircraft, including Russian-made Su and Yak fighter jets and Mi helicopters, performed flyovers to salute the guests.

It said about 150,000 spectators gathered in Hanoi to witness the parade, which was broadcast live on national television./.

VNA

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