VietNamNet Bridge - The atmosphere of National Day has pervaded every corner of the capital city of Hanoi. All streets have been adorned with colourful posters, lights and flowers. Leaving behind hard working days, Hanoians have spent time going out with their family members and friends.

This year, National Day falls on Sunday and according to the Labour Code, State workers have another day off the following day. Therefore, many families have devised plans for a three-day long holiday with various activities.

Young people and couples who have little kids preferred going to the park, the zoo or strolling around Hoan Kiem lake, while students selected the West Lake Water Park for sports and other recreational activities.

Early on September 2, major outdoor entertainment centres in the city were packed with holiday-makers. The Thong Nhat (Unification) Park alone served more than 400 people, mostly kids, in the morning. Several days earlier, the park undertook clean-up activities and introduced new services to cater to visitors’ tastes.

Today, the Thu Le Zoo was more crowded than normal days, with many children dressed in new clothes coming from Hanoi’s suburban districts and nearby provinces.

Many Hanoians consider National Day an occasion for family reunion. For the elderly, they have their own interests on the national holiday, such as staying at home and watching TV programmes, particularly documentaries featuring the August 1945 Revolution.

Market streets such as Hang Ngang, Hang Dao and Hang Duong were also crowded with holiday-makers. Seizing this chance, shop owners decided to open their shops till midnight in the hope of cashing on travellers’ generosity.

The national holiday seems to be busier for garbage collectors and traffic wardens. Mai Thi Thu, who works for the Hanoi Urban and Environment Company (URENCO) said she had to work from 05.00am to 16.00pm to keep streets clean and beautiful. Meanwhile, wardens were deployed to be on duty at major intersections to clear the heavy traffic flows.

“Between two to three wardens are on duty at each junction to ease traffic congestion and deal with violations,” said Ta Quang Minh, a traffic warden at the Cua Nam junction. “We take turn every two hours to ensure smooth traffic flows these days.”

Hospitals and police forces also deployed personnel to work around the clock to ensure safety for all Hanoians on National Day.

(Source: VOV)