18:47, the evening of 7 November 2026. More than 11,000 fans in the stands of My Dinh National Stadium look up. Out of the darkness above the roof, ten LED-lit wings glide in one after another, flags streaming behind them, show pyrotechnics flaring. This is Mebayluon Paragliding's welcome to the final night of Lien Quan 10 Fest.
The show lasted only 5–10 minutes. Behind it lay a whole chain of permits, a test day in turbulent wind, four hours of non-stop preparation and a breathless countdown over the radio. Here is the story from behind the scenes.
Lien Quan 10 Fest: ten years of the game, one night at My Dinh
Lien Quan 10 Fest – "A Decade Together" is the event Garena organised to celebrate ten years of Lien Quan Mobile (Arena of Valor) in Vietnam, held over two days, 7–8 November 2026, at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi. 7 November was the final of the Winter 2026 Arena of Glory (Đấu Trường Danh Vọng) league; 8 November was a big concert with more than 30 artists. Over 33,000 people attended across the two days.
On the night of 7 November, BOOM Esports, Saigon Phantom and FPT Polytechnic fought for the title in front of more than 11,000 fans, with a 20 m statue of the hero Arthur in the middle of the stage. FPT Polytechnic beat BOOM Esports 4–2 in the grand final. And in the sky that night, there were ten extra wings.
Before the engines start: permission for a patch of sky in the capital
Flying engines over the middle of Hanoi is not just a matter of pulling the starter. Before the show, the team had to work through a whole chain of approvals:
- The Operations Department of the General Staff (Cục Tác chiến – Bộ Tổng Tham mưu) approved the flight.
- The team then worked with the 371st Air Defence – Air Force Division, which granted permission to fly.
- The flight was reported to the Hanoi Capital Command and the local authorities.
- Pilots' radios used frequencies licensed by the Authority of Radio Frequency Management (Cục Tần số vô tuyến điện).
The permit allowed a very small radius and a very low ceiling, within the My Dinh area only. Every turn and every descent had to stay inside that invisible box.
4 November: testing 15 machines in turbulent wind
On the afternoon of 4 November, the whole team gathered to test 15 machines. The wind was strong and turbulent, and holding a formation was far harder than planned. Nobody gave up: the team prepared the equipment, flew test runs to learn the terrain around the stadium, ran every engine, then sat down to draw up emergency and backup plans.
Fifteen machines flew that day. On 7 November, ten flew the show.
7 November, 13:00 – 17:00: four hours with no room for error
At 13:00 the team arrived at the stadium: nearly 28 people, about 23 of them the core crew of pilots, technicians and ground support. The next four hours were non-stop work, with one rule everyone repeated: no mistakes allowed.
- Briefing and roles: who flies which slot, who is on the radio, and who backs up each position.
- Mounting show pyrotechnics on the frames.
- Fitting the LEDs and checking every engine.
- Mixing fuel, with enough in every machine for more than an hour of flight, for a 5–10 minute show.
- Preparing the flags and rigging them to be towed.
By 17:00, everything was ready.
A change of plan: into the stadium at 18:47
The original plan was to fly at around 20:00–22:00, once the final had produced a champion. Then the show director set a new time: the wings would enter the stadium at 18:47 and fly a welcome show before the final. More than an hour earlier than planned.
The team's answer was short: "OK! Ready."
A quick team briefing followed: the plan, the slots and the backup options, one more time. Each pilot had 30 minutes to get ready, take off and hold in the air until the entry time.
The countdown on the radio
Three radio operators on the ground (Ground 1, 2, 3) and ten pilots in the air shared one channel on the licensed frequency, with Bluetooth intercoms between the pilots. From the moment the first machine left the ground, that channel never went quiet:
- Ground 1: "Thắng, take off!"
- Ground 1: "Mạc, get ready!"
- Ground 2: "Flag out, flag out!"
- Ground 3: "No lights! Land and switch them on!"
- Air: "Hiếu, tighten up!"
- Ground 1: "Hải, take off!"
- Ground 3: "Lights are on. Take off again and join the formation!"
Then the clock started counting down.
- 18:33 · Ground 1: "Fifteen minutes to go, it's 18:33!"
- 18:35 · Ground 3: "Ground confirms: backup field is clear."
- 18:36 · Air: "All ten up, all lights on."
- 18:38 · Ground 2: "Hold your altitude, stay under the ceiling! Stay inside the zone!"
- 18:40 · Ground 1: "The director's asking: are the wings ready?"
- 18:40 · Air: "Ready!"
- 18:42 · Ground 1: "Five minutes, it's 18:42!"
- 18:43 · Air: "Back to holding positions, line up behind Tâm Vũ!"
- 18:44 · Ground 3: "Wind over the roof is steady."
- 18:44 · Air: "Keep your spacing, hold it!"
- 18:45 · Ground 1: "Not in yet, two minutes left!"
- 18:46 · Ground 2: "Pyro, stand by…"
- 18:46 · Ground 1: "Thirty seconds!"
- 18:47 · Ground 1: "Formation, into the stadium!"
- 18:47 · Air: "Go! Go! Go!"
On the ground, at least three people with radios tracked every wing, ready to deal with anything. In the air, besides their radios, the pilots wore special noise-cancelling Bluetooth intercoms so they could hear each other over the engines.
18:47: the formation enters the stadium
The pilots held their breath and focused. Keep the line straight. Follow Tâm Vũ in the lead, bring it down lower…
And then the whole stadium saw it: ten glowing wings in a line above the roof of the stands, flags streaming, pyrotechnics flaring. Below them, a blazing stage and more than 11,000 fans waiting for the final.
Five to ten minutes in the air, then the machines headed back to the landing field one by one. The grand final began, and on the ground nearly 28 people could finally breathe out.
What does it take to fly a night show over My Dinh?
| Item | On 7 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Permits | Operations Department of the General Staff; 371st Air Defence – Air Force Division; reported to the Hanoi Capital Command and local authorities |
| Airspace | Very small radius and low ceiling, My Dinh area only |
| Aircraft | 15 tested on 4 November, 10 in the show |
| Lighting | LEDs on the machines, show pyrotechnics, flags |
| Fuel | Over an hour's worth in every machine, for a 5–10 minute show |
| Communications | At least 3 radio operators on the ground; frequencies licensed by the radio frequency authority; noise-cancelling Bluetooth intercoms between pilots |
| Night safety | Backup landing fields, emergency plans, a backup for every position |
| People | Nearly 28 on site, about 23 in the core crew |
| Time | 4 hours of preparation (13:00–17:00) for 5–10 minutes in the air |
Night flying is very demanding. By day, pilots can see the terrain and each other. At night, everything depends on the LEDs, backup landing fields chosen in advance and a very carefully worked-out plan.
The people behind the ten wings
Nearly 28 people for 5–10 minutes in the sky. Pilots, technicians, ground support, radio operators: every position had a name at the briefing, and every position had a backup.
Show flying is nothing new for Mebayluon. The team has flown a great many displays and organised plenty of big events: every golden rice season in Mu Cang Chai brings show flights over the terraces, as at the 2026 Golden Season paragliding festival on the Khau Pha pass, and there have been many other stages, such as the paramotor show in Quy Hop, Nghe An, in 2023. But flying at night, in the heart of the capital, over more than 11,000 fans at an esports final, opens a new chapter for the team.
Want to fly a paramotor yourself?
The same pilots fly tandem paramotor flights with guests at Khau Pha (Mu Cang Chai) and Quan Ba (Ha Giang). See our paramotor flights page and the Khau Pha paramotor guide. Already a paraglider pilot and curious about engines? Start with paramotor basics.
Need a flying show for your event? Contact Mebayluon to talk through the plan, the permits and the safety set-up.