Roughly 40,000 spectators attended the concert at Van Phuc Urban Area, while tens of thousands more watched via large screens on Nguyen Hue Walking Street. The program jointly organized by “Nhan Dan” (People) Newspaper and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee anticipated the 81st anniversary of National Day (September 2).
The show opened with a solemn flag-raising ceremony led by the "Determined to Win" military flag, followed by a 34-member honor guard representing the 34 original soldiers of the Vietnam Propaganda Unit for National Liberation—the precursor to the Vietnam People's Army. As the national flag was hoisted, delegates, artists, and the audience joined together to sing the national anthem "Marching Song".
The program’s three segments—"A Unified Land," "The Proud Red Hue," and "The Fatherland in Our Hearts"—recreated the struggle for national independence and reunification as well as conveyed aspirations for peace, development, and progress in the new era.
Performances featured timeless songs such as "Nam Bo Khang Chien" (Southern Resistance), "Ho Keo Phao" (Artillery Hauling Chant), "Hanh Quan Xa" (Long March), "Bai Ca Truong Son" (Song of Truong Son), "Tien Ve Sai Gon" (Marching to Saigon), and "Dat Nuoc Tron Niem Vui" (The Country Full of Joy).
The parade of soldiers, police, female guerrillas, and United Nations peacekeepers created a solemn, heroic, and public-friendly atmosphere.
