journal #6 national holiday.

"HCM Television Cup"


The Independent Palace

In my home country, the biggest national holiday is the Independent day on 30th of April. In 1975, the South of Viet Nam was liberated from the puppet government. Since 1988, the Ho Chi Minh city Television has organized a bicycle race called “HCM Television Cup” to celebrate this national holiday. The route of this racing is often from Ha Noi ,the capitol of Viet Nam, to Ho Chi Minh City. Usually, the winner finishes the race in front of the Independent Palace on 11:30 AM. The race started in the early of April and finished by the 30th of April. During that month, the people of where the race goes though celebrated for the race and for the athletes. After twenty years, the “HCM Television Cup” becomes the icon of the Independent Day in Viet Nam. Beside this activity, the HCM community organizes the meeting for veterans on around the country to help them meet each other and review the memories.
The next day of the Independent Day is the International Labor Day, so we always have a long holiday. In almost shopping centers, it is the seasonal discount time. People do shopping everywhere. At night, there are some outdoor stages in the center of the city for the music shows. A lot of people hang out and the streets are very crowded. We have lot of fun on this holiday.