Vietnam welcomes Year of the Cat

By Staff reporters       JAN. 21, 2023

People from every corner of Vietnam gathered at downtown areas Saturday night for the fireworks shows and other Tet activities.

  • 0h16
    Fireworks explode in HCMC
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    Fireworks explode along the Saigon River. Photo by Dinh Van

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    Fireworks explode over the huge crowd along the Saigon River in HCMC. Photo by Dinh Van

  • 0h15
    Fireworks explode in Hanoi
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    Fireworks explode after midnight in Hanoi. Photo by Ngoc Thanh

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    Fireworks light up Hanoi sky. Photo by Ngoc Thanh

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    Fireworks explode over the The Huc Bridge in the Sword Lake in Hanoi. Photo by Giang Huy

  • 22h45
    Crowds gather at Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake for Tet fireworks
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    The Tet firework show should begin in Hanoi in another hour, but people have already surrounded the Hoan Kiem Lake to wait for it. Photos by VnExpress/Giang Huy

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    Foreigners enjoy a walk near the Hoan Kiem Lake just before midnight.

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    A family with children take a walk while carrying cat-shaped balloons with them.

  • 22h40
    People wait for firework show at HCMC's Bach Dang Pier

    There would still be another hour before the Tet firework show at the Thu Thiem Bridge, but people have already gathered at the Bach Dang Pier of District 1 in anticipation of the event. The location is one of the best spots to watch the fireworks, prompting many to come, even bringing mats to sit on the ground.

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    People gather near HCMC's Bach Dang Pier to watch the Tet firework show, January 21, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

  • 22h20
    Fireworks light up the sky in Dong Thap
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    Low-altitude fireworks were launched at 10 p.m. at the Vo Nguyen Giap Square in Dong Thap's Hong Ngu Town for 15 minutes. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

  • 22h00
    Thua Thien-Hue fires low-altitude fireworks

    At around 10 p.m., Thua Thien-Hue fired low-altitude fireworks for 9 minutes. Another session of high-altitude fireworks is expected to be launched for 15 minutes at midnight.

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    Low-altitude fireworks light up the sky in Thua Thien-Hue, January 21, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

  • 21h10
    Vietnamese in Canada make banh chung for Tet

    Nguyen Thi Van, 26, this year spends the fifth Tet in Canada. One day before the Lunar New Year hits, she and her friends went to a Tet market to buy ingredients for banh chung (sticky rice cake).

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    Van and her group make banh chung for Tet in Canada. Photo by Nguyen Van

    "Every year, I still make traditional Tet meals with banh chung, glass noodles and pork paste... so the entire family and some friends could gather and have fun," Van said.

  • 20h50
    Workers still at work hours before midnight

    At the Hanoi Railway Station, 11 workers cleaned up a train so it could depart the station at 8:20 p.m. to travel to HCMC. They have been working since 5 a.m. to do so.

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    A worker hoses down the outside of a train at the Hanoi Railway Station. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

    Amid the hectic traffic of Hanoi, environment workers remain hard at work to clean up the streets.

    Vo Thi Hau, 50, said she's spent the last 30 years cleaning up the street every Lunar New Year.

    "Everyone wants to be with their families, but the streets must be clean on the first day of Tet, so we all encourage each other and work happily," she said.

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    Vo Thi Hau pushes a garbage cart on the streets of Hanoi, a smile on her face. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh

  • 20h40
    Vietnamese in Japan celebrate Tet

    This is the sixth year where Pham Thi Kim Yen celebrates Tet in Japan. Despite the fact that Japan no longer allows long holidays for the Lunar New Year Festival, this year the occassion falls on the weekends, meaning Yen and her friends get two days off for parties and pagoda visits.

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    Yen and her friends pose for a commemorative photo at their dorm in Nagano, Japan. Photo by Kim Yen

    Yen, 34, has been shopping with her Vietnamese friends for Tet decorations and snacks for the past few days. She plans to call her family back home in Vietnam once midnight hits.

    "The Lunar New Year comes to Japan two hours earlier than Vietnam, but as long as I call on the right day, my parents are happy," Yen said.

  • 20h35
    People rush to downtown Hanoi
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    At 8 p.m., hundreds of people gather at the Trang Tien area ahead of the Lunar New Year, January 21, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

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    Two firefighters pose for photos in Hanoi

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    Huy Truong and his family in Hoang Mai District pose for a commemorative photo near Hoan Kiem Lake as they wait for the Tet firework show

 
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