Fireworks for Hanoi Liberation Day (10 October)

   According to sponsor Sun Group, Hanoi gets water fireworks for the first time: they will light up West Lake (Hồ Tây), while on Hoan Kiem Lake the racks will sit on the water itself rather than firing from the ground as usual. Fifteen minutes of light over the capital's two best-known lakes is a good reason to head out on a Saturday night.

   The show marks the 72nd anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (10 October 1954). That day the red flag with the yellow star was raised on top of the Hanoi Flag Tower (Cột cờ Hà Nội), built in 1812 under Emperor Gia Long, and the historic flag ceremony took place in front of Đoan Môn gate.

   Three firing positions go off at the same time:
— Hoan Kiem Lake, in front of the Hanoi Post Office (Bưu điện Hà Nội): 1,725 high-altitude shells and 350 pyrotechnic racks set on the lake surface
— West Lake, by Quảng Khánh street in Tây Hồ ward: 1,800 high-altitude shells, 900 pyrotechnic racks on the water and water fireworks, all set to music
— Văn Quán Lake in Hà Đông ward: 500 high-altitude shells and 30 pyrotechnic racks on the shore; the city added this point on 7 October

   The whole programme is sponsored by Sun Group. According to the company, the script and the layout of the firing positions were designed together with the Ministry of National Defence, the Hanoi Capital Command (Bộ Tư lệnh Thủ đô Hà Nội) and the Z121 factory (Công ty TNHH MTV Hóa chất 21). The city's plan for the three points lists 4,025 high-altitude shells (1,725 over Hoan Kiem, 1,800 over West Lake and 500 over Văn Quán), 1,175 low-altitude shells and 110 low-altitude racks, 200 water shells on West Lake and 1,280 pyrotechnic racks (350 on Hoan Kiem and 900 on West Lake, set on the water, plus 30 on the shore of Văn Quán); Sun Group puts the total at almost 7,000 units, with more than 150 effects designed for the night.

   Two lakes, two moods. Hoan Kiem is the centrepiece, and its script is built to be solemn, honouring the historic heart of the Old Quarter. West Lake offers a wide stretch of open water with room for big crowds, and it is where the water fireworks will appear. If you want to see what is new, go to West Lake; if you want the moment in the very centre of the celebration, stay by Hoan Kiem.

   For scale: on Lunar New Year's Eve 2026 Hanoi fired from 33 points (34 positions), and on National Day on 2 September from five. The October show has only three points, but at the two main ones the racks sit on the water, so the light reflects off the lakes. Preparations are under way: pontoon bridges and floating platforms are being used to install and secure the racks on Hoan Kiem, and rows of barges are already lined up on West Lake.

   You can watch from the shores of all three lakes; Văn Quán is the nearest point for the south-west of the city.

   Pick your lake in advance and get to the water a little early: fifteen minutes go by fast.