1.000 năm Thăng Long - Hà Nội

This past week was the long-awaited celebration of Hanoi's 1000-year anniversary. There had been much anticipation for the festivities as well by the people as well as the government. I had heard that the city limits of Hanoi had been expanded to increase the population size, as well as many construction projects hurried or completed in time for the celebration so that the city could look its best for all the festivities. In the weeks before, one could see the lights and decorations slowly accumulating around Ho Hoan Kiem, which really started fostering feelings of excitement and beauty.
I was highly anticipating the activities, performances, and the heightened sense of community and nationalism. I thought this would be a great demonstration of Vietnamese pride from all kinds of people, and judging by the crowds there were many people who also wanted to see and participate in such a momentous occasion.
However, once the week started all I could see were crowds and crowds of people! Every time there would be a performance there would be so many people attempting to watch that all one could see were the heads in front of them, behind, and for 360 degrees all around.
My favorite moments of the week were during the greatest military parade in Vietnamese history, which lasted about 40 minuets. Good to know that not all countries have a grossly sized military that would take days to parade through the streets. And then I liked the fireworks and light shows at the beginning and end of Thăng Long. What I saw did not look like $5million worth of celebration, so I do wonder where the rest of that money might have gone...

The lights!