Hanoi’s pedestrian area around Hoan Kiem Lake and nearby streets will be opened to vehicles this weekend to facilitate travel during the Lunar New Year holiday.
The walking streets are normally closed off to traffic over the weekends, but exceptions will be made during the country’s biggest holiday, which is also known as Tet.
Vehicles will be allowed to access Hoan Kiem Lake on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week, the first days of the holiday.
Around 15 minutes walk away, the streets between Hang Ngang, Hang Dao, Hang Duong and Ta Hien to Dong Xuan Market will also be open to vehicles this weekend, as well as the next.
However, celebrations on Lunar New Year’s Eve mean roads around the lake will be closed between 7:30 p.m. on Thursday to 1 a.m. on Friday.
Hanoi opened downtown walking venues in September 2016, and they have proved to be a hit with visitors.
The city plans to hold 30 fireworks shows to welcome the Year of the Dog, including a major display over the iconic lake.