HCMC to close more than 20 downtown roads for Lunar New Year's Eve celebrations

By Gia Minh January 27, 2025 | 10:57 pm PT

Over 20 roads in Ho Chi Minh City's downtown area will be closed to vehicles on Lunar New Year’s Eve on Tuesday night to accommodate public celebrations and fireworks viewing, according to the city’s Traffic Police Department.

The fireworks display will take place at 15 locations across the city, lasting 15 minutes from midnight to 0:15 a.m. on Wednesday, marking the start of the Year of the Snake. Multiple high- and low-altitude firework shows, along with New Year’s events, will be organized in the city center.

To ensure safety and manage traffic as crowds gather, vehicles will be banned from several streets between 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 0:30 a.m. on Wednesday. These include Le Loi (from Pasteur to Dong Khoi), Nguyen Hue (from Le Thanh Ton to Ton Duc Thang), Dong Khoi (from Mac Thi Buoi to Ton Duc Thang), and Ton Duc Thang (from Nguyen Sieu to Khanh Hoi Bridge).

Additional restrictions will apply to Vo Van Kiet Street (from Ho Tung Mau to the Khanh Hoi underpass), Ngo Van Nam (from Nguyen Sieu to Ton Duc Thang), Nguyen Sieu (from Ngo Van Nam to Ton Duc Thang), Nguyen Tat Thanh (from Hoang Dieu to Khanh Hoi Bridge), Ham Nghi (from Ho Tung Mau to Ton Duc Thang), Hai Trieu (from Ho Tung Mau to Nguyen Hue), and Nguyen Thiep (from Dong Khoi to Nguyen Hue).

Pháo hoa nhìn từ cầu Ba Son bắc qua sông Sài Gòn dịp Tết Dương lịch 2025. Ảnh: Khương Nguyễn

Fireworks explode over the Saigon River for the New Year 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Khuong Nguyen

Other roads, including Huynh Thuc Khang (from Ho Tung Mau to Nguyen Hue), Ton That Thiep (from Ho Tung Mau to Nguyen Hue), Ngo Duc Ke (from Dong Khoi to Ho Tung Mau), Mac Thi Buoi (from Dong Khoi to Nguyen Hue), and Hai Ba Trung (from Dong Du to Me Linh Roundabout), will also be closed.

Streets surrounding the Me Linh Roundabout, such as Ngo Duc Ke, Ho Huan Nghiep (up to Dong Khoi), Phan Van Dat, Hai Ba Trung (up to Mac Thi Buoi), and Thi Sach (up to Dong Du), will be restricted. Ba Son Bridge and Khanh Hoi Bridge will also be off-limits.

For roads leading to the Me Linh Roundabout, such as Phan Van Dat, Ho Huan Nghiep, and Ngo Duc Ke, only traffic heading toward the roundabout will be allowed, with no entry permitted to Dong Khoi. Public gatherings or parking on bridges, including Thu Thiem, Binh Loi, Binh Trieu, Mong, Calmette, Ong Lanh, and the Hang Xanh overpass, will be strictly prohibited.