This week, Vietnamese will enjoy a six-day national holiday from April 28 to May 3.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi is considered top option for many visitors to mark Liberation Day on April 30. They will have chance to not only pay tribute to the founder of the nation, but to also enjoy the surrounding parks and gardens and witness the solemn flag lowering ceremony.

From the mausoleum, visitors can easily travel to other interesting places, such as Guom (Sword) Lake, the Temple of Literature, Army Historical Museum and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

Hanoi is expected to be flooded with visitors, so recreational areas and parks have been cleaned and beautified.

Magic performances, boxing, modern dancing and singing will all be on the programme titled Ruc Ro Ho Tay, or Sparkling West Lake, that will be held in Ho Tay Water Park from April 28 to May 1.

An attractive destination on the outskirts of Hanoi, Bao Son paradise will have many holiday discounts for visitors. A highlight will be hip-hop performances.

Indoor leisure centres in Vinhome, Royal City, Vincom and Kangnam might be good idea if temperatures keep rising. Visitors can go shopping and join countless interesting games at the same time.

For those interested in travelling, there are many places to discover. Forty kilometres from the centre of Hanoi is Duong Lam ancient village, which preserves unique cultural and architectural values.

Visitors can also pay a visit to K9, President Ho's revolutionary base, which is located nearby.

One of the striking events for this year's National Reunification Day and May Day holidays will be a hot-air balloon festival, which will take place at an urban township, Ecopark, in Hanoi.

Balloons will fly at a height of 40-50m, providing a unique experience. A wide range of activities will also be held, including a food festival, camping, art performances, and folk games.

Another interesting event will be goat fights, to be held for the first time in Culture Tourism Village in Hanoi by the Mong people from the northern province of Ha Giang.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Hanoi, will also hold holiday activities featuring the folk games of ethnic groups. On April 30, the museum will open its doors for free.

For Liberation Day, the Old Quarter will offer a Living Museum exhibition in which layers of photographs will be used to create a three-dimensional structure showing the transformation of houses over the centuries.

An ancient house at 87 Ma May Street will showcase antiques used in daily life of the Vietnamese people in the old days.

Kim Ngan Temple, at 42-44 Hang Bac Street, where the ancestors of silversmiths worshipped, will display the making of silver and gold jewellery.

Meanwhile, the silk trade and the role of silk in Vietnamese people's life will be featured at the Dong Lac Temple at 38 Hang Dao Street, which was once silk trade centre.-VNA