People watch the parade rehearsals in HCM City on the evening of April 22.
As HCM City imposes timed traffic restrictions to accommodate rehearsals for the April 30 military parade, several companies have permitted employees to leave work early and work from home to avoid congestion and join the celebrations.
On the morning of April 22, Diem Quynh, a 23-year-old office worker in Tan Binh District, was surprised to receive an email from her employer announcing adjusted working hours.
According to the message, employees were allowed to finish work early and work remotely during key rehearsal days ahead of the Reunification Day parade.
Specifically, Quynh’s company permitted staff to leave at 4 pm instead of 5.30 pm on April 22 and April 25. On April 28-29, employees were instructed to work from home.
“Our company wanted to help us avoid traffic jams, as many streets in the city are under restricted access during rehearsal times for the April 30 celebrations,” Quynh shared. “They also encouraged us to take the opportunity to witness the parade rehearsals. I was quite surprised, this is the first time I’ve received such a notice.”
Thanks to the early leave on April 22, Quynh had time to meet friends and watch the parade rehearsal.“Traffic was more congested than usual. It took me 40 minutes to get from my house to District 1, twice the normal time. But I was still thrilled. Everyone seemed excited, and many had brought flags and cameras to capture the moment,” she said.
Huynh Nhu, a 25-year-old resident of Binh Thanh District, also experienced delays commuting from her office in District 1 along Dien Bien Phu Street. The heavy traffic meant it took her nearly an hour to reach home.
“Although the long commute was tiring, I still felt happy and lucky to be in HCM City for such a special occasion,” Nhu said.
She recalled that drivers voluntarily cleared the road for military convoys at the Dien Bien Phu roundabout.
“People started filming and waving at the soldiers. From inside the vehicles, the servicemen smiled and waved back. It was a truly moving moment,” Nhu added.
On the evening of April 22, her company informed employees that they would be allowed to finish work at 4.:30 pm during parade-related activities. The decision aimed to ease congestion and ensure staff could fully enjoy the national celebration.
