'Pink beauty' practices parade under the blazing sun

For over 3 months, soldiers from 3 groups: Coast Guard Officers, Liberation Army Soldiers, and Female Special Forces Soldiers have been diligently practicing for the April 30th celebration at the Military School of Military Region 7. Every day from Monday to Saturday, officers and soldiers practice from 7am to 11am and from 2pm to 4:30pm.

127 female soldiers of the Saigon female special forces enthusiastically practice to prepare for the parade.

Corporal Bui Thi Phuong Ngoc ( Dong Nai Province Military Command) walked with confidence. She felt honored and proud to be the representative of the Female Special Forces Block in the resistance war against the US to save the country, participating in the parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).

"Currently, the Female Special Forces have completed a distance of 150m. With the requirement of reaching 180-200m and only 50 days left, our officers and teachers are determined and have proposed specific solutions, including increasing evening training to supplement the training process," said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Minh, a teacher at the Combined Arms Department - Military School of Military Region 7.

After the joint training session on March 13, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Head of the Parade and Marching Subcommittee, assessed the training results of the units as good and relatively even. However, he requested that some units need to adjust their hand gestures, salutes and military uniforms.

Every movement of the feet, hands, and face requires coordination, precise to the millimeter. The movements must be precise, fluent, and consistent and beautiful for the whole group.

Soldier Cao Van Tay Ninh (Military Zone 7) is concentrating hard during a training session under the 37 degree heat of Ho Chi Minh City. The soldiers said the biggest difficulty was when sweat was pouring down, making their eyes sting, but they still had to maintain their movements and walk steadily.

Under the hot sun, training activities are still maintained seriously and strictly by the officers in charge.

During the training, any soldier who still has difficulty performing the movements will be guided and given additional practice by the officer in charge in the evening. This helps ensure that the soldiers keep up with the overall progress of the group.

Each officer and soldier participating in the parade is selected and meets strict requirements: height from 1m70 or more, type 1 health, good moral qualities, strong political will, and high sense of responsibility.

Currently, the blocks are training in phase 2, focusing on training the formation of the blocks and organizing training on the block core and block frame. By April 7, 2025, the remaining contents in the block formation process will be completed, ensuring evenness, beauty, uniformity and preparation for entering phase 3 training.