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Ho Chi Minh City
Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Crowds camp overnight on sidewalks for grand parade

By Dat Thanh

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HCMC – Thousands of residents and visitors turned the city center into a campsite on the eve of Reunification Day to secure front-row seats for the golden-jubilee parade on April 30.

From late afternoon on April 29, people began staking out prime viewing spots along Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Le Loi Street, and around iconic landmarks such as Ben Thanh Market.

As citizens bed down on the city streets, their commitment to securing a vantage point reveals a deeper current of national pride and a powerful sense of community that transcends the spectacle itself.

Outside the landmark Ben Thanh Market, hundreds bed down on the street while others moved further into the heart of the city
Bao Nhi (L), a university student, said that she and her friends staked out a spot at 8 p.m. “We wanted to be early so we wouldn’t miss a moment of the parade,” she said
A group of young people prepares snacks and flags for an overnight campout, turning the pavement into a shared picnic ground
Laughter, snacks, and selfies animate the overnight gathering, as citizens celebrate unity and freedom 50 years after Vietnam’s reunification
A young girl smiles from inside a roadside tent as her mother gently fans her, finding comfort in the heat of a long night outdoors.
Children wave flags as they march through crowded streets, joining the growing tide of families heading downtown

By 11 p.m. the downtown core was already packed, with still more spectators streaming in
Spectators use flags to stake claim for their spots for the April 30 parade

As night deepens, throngs of people flood Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Ton Duc Thang Street, and Bach Dang Wharf, leaving barely any space unclaimed
One man scales a tree to livestream the crowd
A youth volunteer directs foot traffic at a congested intersection, helping maintain order as crowds swell deep into the night
While some stretch out on the asphalt to sleep, others pace, snack, or chat under streetlights—each claiming the night in their own way as the city counts down to the parade

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