A Sad National Day

Yes, today, September 2nd, is Vietnam's National Day. On this day 76 years ago, at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, beloved President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the happiness of Vietnamese people. And every year, we look forward to this day with joy to go back to our family, gather with friends, travel,...

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But this year things are completely different. Because of the impact of the pandemic, all three largest cities of Vietnam, Hanoi, Saigon, Da Nang and many other provinces are under lockdown. We can't leave the house to celebrate Independence Day. Indeed, this is the saddest national day ever. The government still manages to hang the national flag in front of every house like every year, but the roads are empty.

Currently a lot of us go to big cities to earn money and live far away from our families. Like every other year, National Day is a precious occasion for us to have some days off to visit family. But that won't happen this year. Many couples will not be able to meet each other, children will not be able to reunite with their parents and grandparents. Even relatives living in a city are not allowed to see each other. And of course there are no gatherings, parties, karaoke,...

Young people like me look forward to Independence Day for another reason: gathering with friends and going on trips. A few months ago, I was planning to visit a big boat racing festival in Quang Binh, about 400km from my place. But now I'm still sitting here right in the house and can only see out through the window. Even the sailing festival is not held for the first time in many years since it was born.

All tourist areas are closed. You know, tourism is a huge source of income for our country. Stretching from North to South, we have thousands of tourist attractions, and especially all of them are packed with tourists on occasions like this. But this year all tourist attractions are deserted. Planes, trains, coaches are also not working. Well, I think this year is not only a year of sad national day but also a sad economic year. Anyway, happy Vietnam's National Day and pray for a better future! Hopefully, the pandemic will end soon, and we can go back to the good times.

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