Record celebrations mark 80 years of independence

Vietnam held its largest-ever public celebrations yesterday to mark 80 years since the declaration of independence, with legions of lock-stepped patriots marching under fluttering flags.

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Around 40,000 troops and civilians began parading in the capital Hanoi after dawn, feting the date when communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh declared a “Democratic Republic of Vietnam” free from French rule in 1945.

Tanks, drones and missile batteries filed through the streets as helicopters and planes streaked above crowds which were hundreds-of-thousands strong in the sweltering morning sun.

Pham Thanh Van, a 78-year-old veteran, wore his military uniform pinned with medals earned fighting American troops as he watched from a front row seat at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.

"This will be my final memory. Don’t forget us,” he said. “I feel so proud. Independence brought development and prosperity to the country. I felt it worth fighting for.”