Lan Anh, 28, from Ba Dinh ward, was delighted to hear that organizers were distributing tickets directly for the "Vietnam in Me" concert on the morning of 20/8 at the August Revolution Square, in front of the Hanoi Opera House. She planned to queue from 3 a.m., believing she'd avoid the website crash that plagued online registration. "This is a fair competition of endurance; whoever arrives first gets a ticket," she said.

Arriving at the scene, she found hundreds already waiting, some since the previous night. The crowd huddled together, ready to push forward at any opportunity.

People climb over the fence in front of the Hanoi Opera House to get tickets for the "Vietnam in Me" program commemorating the 80th National Day anniversary, morning of 20/8. Photo: Huy Manh. *Italicized*

As daylight broke, the crowd swelled, and so did the chaos. Shouts for order were drowned out by surges of people pushing towards the ticket booth. The heat and the crush caused some to faint. Even those wanting to leave found themselves trapped.

"At 9 a.m., the organizers started distributing tickets, but after about an hour, they announced they'd stop and continue in the afternoon. Thousands of people behind me were stunned," Lan Anh recounted. Staying meant enduring the scorching heat, while leaving meant wasting over 7 hours of waiting.

The 28-year-old chose to leave and bought a ticket on social media for over one million dong.

"The organizers should have managed the queue more effectively instead of letting everyone form their own lines, leading to such chaos," she said.

Lan Anh was one of about 4,000 people present at the Hanoi Opera House that morning. The organizers planned to distribute tickets over three days (20-22/8) in two time slots, with 1,000 tickets available on the first morning. Each person with a citizen ID card could receive two tickets.

Kieu Van, 25, from Cau Giay ward, also experienced frustration trying to secure tickets online for National Day events. Despite using multiple devices, she couldn't access the registration link for the "Fatherland in My Heart" concert on the morning of 31/7 due to system overload. Within 10 minutes, the website announced that tickets were sold out.

Defeated, she turned to black market groups on social media, where tickets were openly sold for between 800,000 and 2 million dong. Van spent 4 million dong on four tickets for her family. A similar situation occurred with the "Proud to be Vietnamese" event on the evening of 17/8, for which Van proactively purchased tickets in advance.

"This is a once-in-a-decade event, and I wanted my whole family to experience the patriotic atmosphere during this grand celebration," Van shared.

However, not everyone accepts the black market solution. Thuc Anh, 30, from Hung Yen, believes that buying and selling tickets for free events supports profiteering.

Having luckily secured a ticket, Thuc Anh was approached by someone offering to buy it for 500,000 dong. She was surprised to see prices inflated even higher on social media. "These tickets are issued free by the government and should not be commodities for profit. If you're unlucky, you can watch online," she said.

A VnExpress survey found that since 10/8, dozens of groups offering free tickets for art performances have been created on social media, attracting tens of thousands of members. The largest group has over 50,000 members, where buying and selling activity is open and brisk.

This topic has sparked heated debate. Some strongly oppose the practice, arguing that it creates injustice, deprives others of opportunities, and should be penalized. Others believe it's simply supply and demand; those who don't need their tickets can transfer them to those in need for a fee.

"It's similar to buying concert tickets for artists; there are always people who get paid to book tickets for others. It's nothing unusual. If you feel it's unfair, you can register yourself or queue," one ticket seller shared their perspective.

The widespread selling of tickets also misled many into thinking the events were ticketed. Last week, Thuy Duong, who traveled from Lang Son to Hanoi, purchased tickets for the 17/8 concert, paying 800,000 dong for standing tickets and 2 million dong for seated tickets.

"Seeing tickets openly sold, I assumed it was a paid event. Since I came from far away, I quickly bought them to avoid missing out," Duong said.

Kieu Van's parents at the "Proud to be Vietnamese" concert at My Dinh National Stadium, 17/8. Photo: Provided by interviewee. *Italicized*

According to Le Anh Tu, a lecturer in the Faculty of Public Relations and Communications at the University of Economics and Finance, Ho Chi Minh City (UEF), the public's enthusiasm for National Day events is a commendable expression of patriotism and national pride. Free programs are organized to allow everyone to immerse themselves in the historical atmosphere.

"However, the act of selling free tickets, whether offline or online, should be condemned," Tu stated.

He acknowledged that the buying and selling of tickets based on supply and demand is not new, but for national-level programs with political and non-profit significance, this profiteering is inappropriate, not to mention the risk of fraud.

Representatives of the "Fatherland in My Heart" event organizers on 1/8 confirmed that the concert was entirely free, with no ticket sales of any kind. "We advise people not to buy tickets from unofficial sources. We have sent an official letter to the police to cooperate in dealing with those who profit from the program," the representative said.

Nga Thanh - Quynh Nguyen