National celebration gets global flavor

HO CHI MINH CITY: A huge number of spectators - including 100,000 motorcyclists - thronged the streets yesterday evening to cheer and applaud the Olympic torch relay in the country's largest city, which marked the end of the flame's international journey.

The torch will now travel to the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao before going to the mainland.

Many Chinese nationals, mostly those working or studying in Vietnam, also lined the streets waving huge red flags, repeatedly chanting "Beijing! China!".