Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has approved Ho Chi Minh City's plan to throw four fireworks shows on New Year's Eve.
The 15-minute shows would accordingly take place at Thu Thiem Tunnel that links districts 1 and 2, Dam Sen Park in District 11, Cu Chi Tunnels in Cu Chi District and Rung Sac Square in Can Gio District.
For the Lunar New Year's Eve, which falls at midnight on February 16, the city would be allowed to launch fireworks at the above locations as well as in Nha Be and Hoc Mon districts.
All the fireworks shows will be paid for using private funds.
The fireworks shows were greenlighted after the Communist Party's Secretariat last week issued a directive allowing municipalities to launch fireworks during New Year celebrations on the conditions that they do not use the state budget and the events must be safe.
Major Vietnamese cities, including HCMC, Hanoi and Da Nang, skipped their fireworks shows to celebrate the new year in 2017 following the 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 389 people dead or missing in Vietnam in 2017. The toll surpassed last year's losses, when disasters killed 264 people. Natural disasters also costed the country about VND60 trillion ($2.65 billion) in damages, 1.5 times that of 2016.
HCMC also skipped fireworks shows for its Reunification Day on April 30 this year, but brought back the lights for the country’s National Day on September 2, to a lot of fanfare.
For this year's New Year's Eve celebration, the city will also be banning vehicles from entering streets around Thu Thiem Tunnel.
Specifically, from 8 p.m. on December 31 until 4 a.m. on January 1, motorbikes would be banned from the route along Vo Van Kiet Street, Thu Thiem Tunnel and Mai Chi Tho Street, from the intersection with Ky Con Street until the intersection with the road leading to Thu Thiem Bridge.
From 8 p.m. on December 31 until midnight, all vehicles would be banned from the following areas: Nguyen Tat Thanh Street (from the intersection with Hoang Dieu Street to Khanh Hoi Bridge), Ton Duc Thang Street (from Me Linh Square to Khanh Hoi Bridge), Dong Khoi Street (from the intersection with Ngo Duc Ke Street to the intersection with Ton Duc Thang Street), Hai Trieu Street (from the intersection with Ho Tung Mau Street to the intersection with Nguyen Hue Street) and Ham Nghi Street (from the intersection with Ho Tung Mau Street to the intersection with Ton Duc Thang Street).
All vehicles would also be banned from entering Nguyen Hue Street from 7 p.m. on December 31 until 0.30 a.m. on January 1.
Alternative routes:
- From District 4 to District 1: Nguyen Tat Thanh - Hoang Dieu - Doan Van Bo - Calmette Bridge - Calmette - Tran Hung Dao - Pham Ngu Lao - Quach Thi Trang Square - Le Loi - Pasteur - Ly Tu Trong - Ton Duc Thang.
- From District 1 to District 4: Ton Duc Thang - Me Linh Square - Hai Ba Trung - Le Thanh Ton - Nam Ky Khoi Nghia - Nguyen Thai Binh or Nguyen Cong Tru - Calmette - Calmette Bridge - Doan Van Bo - Hoang Dieu - Nguyen Tat Thanh.
- From District 1 to District 2: Vo Van Kiet - Ky Con - Tran Hung Dao - Pham Ngu Lao - Quach Thi Trang Square - Le Loi - Pasteur - Ly Tu Trong - Ton Duc Thang - Nguyen Huu Canh - Thu Thiem Bridge - Nguyen Co Thach - Mai Chi Tho.
- From District 2 to District 1: Mai Chi Tho - Nguyen Co Thach - Thu Thiem Bridge - Nguyen Huu Canh - Le Thanh Ton - Nam Ky Khoi Nghia - Vo Van Kiet.