HCMC cancels firework shows for Lunar New Year

The move came after HCMC on Saturday recorded a suspected community transmission, being a 28-year-old man working at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. He is now in quarantine and being treated at the Cu Chi field hospital.

His younger brother living in the same house in neighboring Binh Duong Province also tested positive for novel coronavirus. The two cases have yet to be confirmed by the health ministry.

Earlier, the southern metropolis planned to set off firecrackers on Lunar New Year's Eve at eight locations, including two high-altitude venues by Saigon River Tunnel in District 2 and Vietnam’s tallest building, Landmark 81 in Binh Thanh District.

Hanoi, which has 23 cases, will only have one firework show instead of the originally planned 30, with no spectators allowed.

Many other localities announced the cancelation of firework shows to limit crowds amid the latest Covid-19 outbreak.

The new wave of Covid-19, caused by the fast-spreading U.K. variant, began just a couple of weeks before Tet, Vietnam's biggest and most important festival, an occasion for family reunions, big gatherings and home parties. It peaks on Feb. 12 this year.

Since the outbreak began last week, Vietnam has confirmed 394 Covid-19 carriers.