Hanoi (VNA) – People streamed down streets in big cities across Vietnam to join in celebratory activities in the evening of December 31 – the New Year’s Eve.
The August Revolution Square in front of the Opera House in Hanoi got crowded since the early evening as it was the venue of a major countdown party held by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.
Participants, mostly young people, engulfed in famous patriotic songs as well as modern sound and light performances by renowned singers and music bands.
Other vibrant countdown parties also took place at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, Thong Nhat Park and Ly Thai To flower garden in the capital city with both Vietnamese people and foreigners joining in.
Local residents also flocked to colourfully decorated streets in downtown Hanoi like Ba Trieu, Hai Ba Trung and Dinh Tien Hoang, Hang Dao and Ta Hien or big shopping centres such as Trang Tien Plaza, Royal City and Times City to welcome the New Year.
Meanwhile, residents in the central city of Da Nang packed Bien Dong Park and My Khe beach to watch the first-ever firework display at sea, which was set off at 9 pm instead of the scheduled midnight due to the unfavourable weather condition.
A countdown party was also held at the March 29 Square with spectacular music and light shows performed by well-known domestic and foreign DJs.
In the New Year’s Eve, downtown areas and entertainment centres in Ho Chi Minh City were also full of people eager to share the happiness with their relatives and friends or to enjoy firework displays.
Illuminated streets across the southern hub such as Le Duan, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Dong Khoi and Nguyen Hue saw endless flows of people.
Countdown parties at various locations were also magnets for the city dwellers on the threshold of the New Year.-VNA