Mayor Nguyen Ngoc Anh made the announcement at on online meeting on January 19 to review COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the city.

The city earlier planned to put on a fireworks display on lunar New Year’s Eve at only one venue, and the event would be broadcast live via social media.

During New Year’s Eve more than half a month ago the city also decided to stop letting off fireworks and organizing cultural events, including a countdown party, due to the complex nature of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Ministry of Health recently recommended that localities not hold fireworks party to ring in the new lunar year as large numbers of COVID-19 cases are recorded daily in localities.

In addition, the new variant, Omicron, is spreading rapidly across the globe, even in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has so far recorded 73 Omicron cases, including 3 locally acquired infections.