These days, all over Vietnam, from the streets filled with red flags with yellow stars, to the news reports that beat the pace of the times, everywhere you can see people joyfully celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). Among the myriad of bustling events, there are very ordinary, very simple images that are deeply moving, such as the eyes of students standing at attention to salute the flag even though they arrived late for school, or the image of thousands of workers stopping their hands solemnly to look at the national flag, young people proudly checking in with the national flag...

A group of students from Thai Thinh Secondary School (Hanoi) arrived late to school on Monday morning and stood at attention to salute the flag outside the school gate while the flag-raising ceremony was taking place inside the school... receiving many compliments. Photo: DV

Those images are not only beautiful moments, but also vivid lessons about patriotism, national pride, and traditional education for today's young generation.

The flag not only flies in the wind but also flutters in people's hearts.

Over the past few days, social media has been spreading a photo of a group of students from Thai Thinh Secondary School (Hanoi) standing at attention to salute the flag before entering school, even though they were late. No one forced them, no one ordered them… but they still chose to stand, eyes on the national flag. They saluted the flag first, then asked the security guard for permission to enter the classroom… That moment touched the hearts of millions of people. Perhaps it was the innocence, sincerity and naturalness of the students that made that image so touching. Because there is no need for loud slogans or lengthy lectures, patriotism is sown from simple things, such as a flag-saluting ceremony, a national anthem sung with all respect, a solemn attitude when standing under the national flag…

Many companies hold flag-raising ceremonies with thousands of workers wearing red flags with yellow stars, creating an impressive image. Photo: baonghean

The performances of the group of students are the shadow of a profound education. It is the result of lessons about the history of the nation, about the blood and bones of our ancestors shed for today's independence day. It is the crystallization of flag-raising activities, lessons telling stories of revolutionary soldiers, poems and songs about Uncle Ho, about the "road to liberating the South" of the past. It is also in the actions of the students that adults like us can reflect on our seriousness and pride when standing under the sacred flag.

Proud to say: "I am Vietnamese"!

Not only students. These days, the image of tens of thousands of workers in industrial zones stopping to salute the flag makes anyone who sees it choke up. In the midst of noisy factories and roaring machines, the moment they all turn towards the red flag with a yellow star and solemnly sing the national anthem has turned the workplace into a sacred space.

Flag-raising ceremonies are held regularly by many businesses every Monday morning, but on the occasion of April 30 – May 1, the ceremony has a special meaning. Workers and laborers with pride under the national flag are the clearest embodiment of a peaceful country, walking steadily on its own two feet.

That proud atmosphere also spreads strongly among young people. On many streets, historical sites or central squares in cities, young people in Ao Dai, in traditional costumes... poured out onto the streets to check-in with the national flag, capturing beautiful moments with the symbol of the Fatherland. They took photos with pride saying: "I am Vietnamese"!

Traditional education from school

Traditional education does not necessarily have to be massive programs, expensive festivals or noisy campaigns. Sometimes, it starts with teachers reminding students to stand up when singing the National Anthem, from April 30th history competitions, from lessons on telling stories about President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap... or from decorating the classroom with bright red flags with yellow stars on every major holiday.

Many schools in Hanoi have been “dyed red” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day. Here, students hand-painted propaganda posters, made historical models, and composed poems and prose about the great holiday. That is the way traditional education gradually permeates, like a smoldering but persistent underground stream, cultivating personality, arousing love for the homeland from very real and very close things.

The liberation of the South and the reunification of the country is not just a holiday, it is a milestone for the entire nation. In today's modern life, when students arrive late for class but stand at attention to salute the flag outside the school gate. Thousands of workers pause production to sing the National Anthem or young people proudly hold the national flag in front of the victory monument... That is when history is no longer distant, but is present, vivid, and real in every Vietnamese person.