Hanoi cancels countdown events, fireworks for New Year's Eve

The capital city will instead hold virtual events and pre-record cultural performance programmes to welcome 2022, which will be broadcast on New Year's Eve.

The city also encourages businesses and organisations to put up decorations and lightings on the front of buildings, hotels and malls.

The downtown district of Hoan Kiem , where major cultural events usually take place and is a place for many people's gatherings also announced that celebration events in the area were to be halted while in-door dining is suspended. Hanoi has been recording the highest number of new infections nationwide for the past two weeks, reporting over 1,000 new cases on a daily basis.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh also signed a new directive on the Lunar New Year’s activities, which requires localities to hold celebrations in accordance with COVID-19 prevention and control measures.