Vietnam went fireworks-free last year after the Communist Party called for austerity to help the poor and flood victims.
Ho Chi Minh City is going to put on a 15-minute fireworks show next week to celebrate the new year after scrapping it in 2017 under a national austerity policy.
The city’s government has announced its programs on the midnight of January 1, 2018, which will include the pyrotechniques performance at Dam Sen Park in District 11, a light show in front of the city’s town hall on Le Thanh Ton Street and a countdown event steps away on the Nguyen Hue walking street.
Many streets and shopping malls in Saigon have already turned on Christmas lights.
Major Vietnamese cities, including Saigon, Hanoi and Da Nang, went fireworks-free last year following the Communist Party’s call for austerity. The Party asked cities and provinces to reallocate the money planned for fireworks shows to help the poor and the needy, especially those hit hard by natural disasters.
Flooding and storms left 390 people dead or missing in Vietnam in the first 11 months of 2017. The toll surpassed last year’s losses, when disasters killed 264 people.
HCMC also skipped fireworks shows for its Reunification Day on April 30, but brought back the lights for the country’s National Day on September 2, to a lot of fanfare.
Source: Trung Son