Painted in red and draped with propaganda slogans, Vietnam's capital has turned 1,000 years old in an extravagant ceremony meant to stoke nationalism and show the outside world how far this once war-ravaged country has advanced.
More than 30,000 people marched in Vietnam's biggest-ever parade Sunday, with goose-stepping soldiers, colourful dancing dragons and 10 military helicopters displaying huge Communist Party and Vietnamese flags.
The procession, a third of which was military, started Sunday in the capital's historic Ba Dinh Square where former President Ho Chi Minh declared independence from the French colonialists 65 years ago.
Ho's massive granite mausoleum provided the backdrop for the festivities.