Hanoi will host a series of major events to mark the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, including a grand parade at Ba Dinh Square and through central streets. In addition, the capital will feature special art performances and dazzling fireworks displays at designated venues.
As the celebration approaches, finding cafés with prime views of the parade has become a hot topic alongside booking hotels and accommodation, especially among young people.
A Hanoi café decorated for National Day celebrations (Photo by Nguyen Ha Nam)
Kieu Anh, 20, from Tu Liem Ward, called nearly 10 cafés around West Lake and Hoan Kiem Lake to book seats for watching the parade with her friends on September 2. Yet after almost an hour, every place she contacted had already sold out.
According to a quick survey by Dantri/Dtinews reporters, some coffee shops around Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, and central parade routes are charging from VND 690,000 to about VND 1 million per guest for drink-and-snack combos, depending on seat location.
Some cafés in top spots near Hoan Kiem Lake set tough reservation terms, requiring a 50-100 per cent deposit to book seats. A few even hold bookings only for a limited time, with late arrivals forfeiting both their seats and deposits.
The owner of a café on Hang Khay Street said the shop has received dozens of calls and booking requests through its hotline and fanpage in recent days. With limited seating, many customers had to be turned away, as all spots from August 30 to the morning of September 2 are fully booked.
Similarly, a café representative on Dien Bien Phu Street said all seats were reserved for the parade rehearsals on August 27-28 and the final rehearsals on August 30-31. Reservations for the official September 2 ceremony sold out more than a week before.
Locals and visitors can watch the parade from various streets across Ba Dinh, Ngoc Ha, Cua Nam, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, Hai Ba Trung, Tay Ho, and My Dinh.
One of the best vantage points is the intersection of Hung Vuong, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Hang Chao streets, where spectators can take in the full formations as the parade departs Ba Dinh Square and branches off in different directions.
