A number of young people in Hanoi waved goodbye to their families and friends as they departed to join the military in a send-off ceremony held in the capital on February 27.

The event witnessed the participation of Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, deputy secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, Chairman of the municipal People's Council.

This year has seen over 70 young people from Hanoi enlist to join the military.

Doing a period of military service is mandatory for Vietnamese males aged between 18 and 25, with this extended up to 27 for those who apply for a delay in order to obtain higher education degrees.

Ta Quang Tien, 18, has voluntarily signed up to participate in military service. He regards this as both a challenge and an opportunity in order to gain life experience and learn new skills.

Every newly-recruited soldier receives a bunch of flowers from the capital’s leaders.

Attending the send-off ceremony, many local residents wave off the new cadets before their period of service begins.

A mother of one soldier is presented with a bunch of flowers by her son before he departs for military service.

A young soldier waves at his family during the ceremony.

Everyone attending the event strictly follows novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measures, with all young soldiers being tested for COVID-19.