A solemn flag-raising ceremony was held at the historic Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on the morning of September 2, where 81 years ago President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

At 6 am on September 2, the national flag is hoisted to the top of the 29-metre-high flagpole amid a solemn atmosphere.

At exactly 5:50 am, the ceremonial formation marched from the right side of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to the flagpole, accompanied by the stirring military band playing the march “Tien buoc duoi Quan ky" (Marching under the army flag).

Leading the formation was the Determined-to-Win Military Flag, followed by 34 honor guards representing the 34 soldiers who formed the first members of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army, the predecessor of the Vietnam People’s Army.

At 6 am, the national flag was hoisted to the top of the 29-metre-high flagpole amid a solemn atmosphere.

As the national anthem rang out, the red flag with a yellow star flew over historic Ba Dinh Square. The main entrance to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was opened as the flag-raising ceremony began.

Local residents and visitors, dressed neatly and respectfully, had gathered early for the ceremony.

They put aside their activities to watch the national flag being slowly raised to the top of the flagpole, and joined in singing the national anthem.

The red flag with a yellow star was first raised over Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945, when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence before millions of Vietnamese people, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Over the past 81 years, the image of the national flag flying over Ba Dinh Square has come to symbolise the enduring existence of the Fatherland in the heart of every Vietnamese person.

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