Vietnam held its largest-ever public celebrations on Tuesday to mark 80 years since the declaration of independence, with legions of lock-stepped patriots marching under fluttering flags.

Around 40,000 troops and civilians began parading in the capital Hanoi after dawn, feting the date when communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh declared a "Democratic Republic of Vietnam" free from French rule in 1945.

Tanks, drones and missile batteries filed through the streets as helicopters and planes streaked above crowds which were hundreds-of-thousands strong in the sweltering morning sun.

Pham Thanh Van, a 78-year-old veteran, wore his military uniform pinned with medals earned fighting American troops as he watched from a front row seat at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.

"This will be my final memory.

See Full Page