The decision had been made, taking into account the ongoing fight against COVID-19, said Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, at a press briefing on January 13.

2022 marks the second consecutive year that HCM City, the largest metropolis in Vietnam, has cancelled its firework displays for the Lunar New Year due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

However, a wide range of annual activities will still be held to celebrate the traditional Tet festival, including a spring flower market, a book festival, and a flower street on Nguyen Hue Road.

The city will continue to roll out its street light decorations on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Dong Khoi, Le Duan, Nguyen Hue, Vo Thi Sau, and Le Loi streets. These decorations are scheduled to be put up within the next week.

Workers are now putting the final touches to the city’s New Year events which should have been originally completed on December 20 but were delayed due to the COVID-19 fight, Nam said.

He also revealed that the southern metropolis will host special activities to honour medical workers during the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus on Vietnamese Physicians’ Day that falls on February 27 annually.