Liberation of the Capital, 10 October

On 21 July 1954, a little over two months after the victory at Điện Biên Phủ, the Geneva Accords on ending hostilities in Indochina were signed. Under the accords, French forces had to withdraw from the north area by area, and Hà Nội was given 80 days for the pull-out. After nine years of resistance war, Hanoians began counting the days until the army came home.

In the first days of October, army units and takeover officials entered the city one after another, receiving each district, factory, school and hospital in turn. On the afternoon of 9 October 1954 the last French soldiers crossed Long Biên bridge. The city was handed over intact, with power, water and markets still running, ready for a great celebration.

On 19 September 1954, on their way to take over the capital, officers and soldiers of the 308th Division met President Hồ Chí Minh at Giếng Temple in the Hùng Kings' Temple complex in Phú Thọ. At the place where the Hùng Kings are worshipped, he spoke to the soldiers about guarding the country, keeping discipline and staying close to the people.

His words were later carved on a stone stele at the temple and became familiar to generations of Vietnamese. For the Vanguard Division they were a reminder before a mission unlike the battlefield: running a city, protecting people's property and greeting residents with the conduct of revolutionary soldiers.

The Hùng Kings built the nation; together we must keep it safe.

President Hồ Chí Minh, Hùng Kings' Temple, 19 September 1954

On the morning of 10 October 1954, columns of the 308th Division entered the inner city from several directions, through the western and southern gates. At the head came vehicles carrying the city's Military Administration Committee, chaired by Major General Vương Thừa Vũ with Dr Trần Duy Hưng as vice chair. Infantry, artillery and supply trucks followed in long lines.

Residents crowded the pavements, red flags with the yellow star covered the street fronts, and flowers and welcome banners were everywhere. Many families opened their doors to offer the soldiers water, and children ran alongside the columns. For the first time in nearly a decade, Hanoians were welcoming their own sons and daughters home.

At exactly 3pm on 10 October 1954, the city's Military Administration Committee held a flag ceremony in the Flag Tower yard, within the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel. Tens of thousands of residents, soldiers and students gathered at its foot. The red flag with the yellow star was raised to the top of the tower to the national anthem, marking Hà Nội's official return to its people.

At the ceremony, President Hồ Chí Minh's appeal to the people of the capital was read to the crowd, urging everyone to keep order, restore production and rebuild the city together. Ever since, the Hà Nội Flag Tower has been the symbol of the capital's liberation.

In 1949, while in the Việt Bắc resistance base, composer Văn Cao wrote the song Marching to Hà Nội, imagining the day the army would return to the capital through its five gates. Five years later the picture in the song came true, and it has been tied to 10 October ever since.

The five gates it recalls are Quan Chưởng, Cầu Dền, Đống Mác, Cầu Giấy and Chợ Dừa. Along with Marching to Hà Nội, songs about autumn and the people of Hà Nội fill the radio, the pedestrian streets and the stage programmes every October.

In 1999 UNESCO named Hà Nội a City for Peace. In 2010 the Grand Ceremony for 1,000 years of Thăng Long Hà Nội coincided with the liberation anniversary, with military and civilian parades on Ba Đình Square. Milestone years such as the 60th and 70th anniversaries have brought large cultural programmes across the city.

Today, around 10 October Hanoians offer incense at historic sites, visit archive photo exhibitions, stroll the pedestrian streets around Hoàn Kiếm lake and enjoy Vòng village green rice in the autumn air. Many offices and companies hold a short session retelling the takeover story to younger staff, keeping the memory of that autumn of 1954 alive.