Hanoi will host a countdown with a series of activities to welcome the New Year 2024.

The countdown "Welcome New Year 2024" will be held at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square and Dinh Tien Hoang Street from 7 pm on December 31, 2023 to 1 am on January 1, 2024.

Hanoi Opera House to sparkle with light performance for New Year's celebration. Photo: VNA

Music and dance performances by famous artists are expected to exemplify Hanoi's cultural identities and integration efforts, helping to promote the brand of Hanoi - the city of peace at the moment of transition from the old year to the new.

August Revolution Square will host the Heineken Countdown Party 2024 on December 31, 2023 at 7:30 pm. The program, with the participation of top artists, will feature music ranging from lively melodies to delicate concertos.

The Ecopark Countdown 2024 event will be held on December 31, 2023 at 8:30 pm at Swan Lake Park - the largest park in the Ecopark urban area, 14 km from Hanoi's Old Quarter, with free admission.

At the event, Ecopark residents and visitors will be treated to a show of sound and light performances using the most advanced technology, and the LED and laser lighting system will be arranged around the stage.

Hanoi's art troupes will also stage their performances throughout the city. Specifically, the Hanoi Drama Theater will host a play in Ba Vi District on the evening of December 28. The Hanoi Cheo Theater will perform in Nam Tu Liem district on the evening of December 29 and in Thach That district on the evening of December 30. Thang Long Music and Dance Theater will hold a show in Tay Ho District on the evening of December 29. The Hanoi Cai Luong (Reformed) Theater is expected to perform in Phu Xuyen district on the evening of December 28 and in My Duc district on the evening of December 30.
The performance programs will be elaborately choreographed by art units with unique music, dance, and drama to cheer people up on New Year's Eve.

Fireworks displays at 31 venues for Lunar New Year

A series of fireworks shows will take place at 31 venues in 30 districts of the city on Lunar New Year Eve, which falls on February 9, according to the city's People's Committee.

The central district of Hoan Kiem, home to the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake, will host two fireworks displays, while the remaining 29 districts will each host one.

Fireworks light up over the sky to welcome the Vietnamese Traditional Lunar New Year 2023 at the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. Photo: Hung Khanh/The Hanoi Times

The 31 venues include nine aerial fireworks shows and 22 ground shows. The fireworks will last 15 minutes, from midnight to 0:15 am.

Specifically, two aerial fireworks displays will light up the sky over Hoan Kiem Lake, the traditional site of Hanoi's largest fireworks show. The fireworks will be launched at two locations on Hoan Kiem Lake, in front of the Hanoi Post Office and the headquarters of the Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi) newspaper.

The other locations for the ground fireworks will be decided by local authorities and will be lakes, parks or stadiums.

This will be the second consecutive year since the Covid-19 outbreak. Hanoi authorities will organize fireworks displays in the city's 30 districts to welcome the Lunar New Year, just as before the pandemic.

In 2021, Hanoi canceled fireworks and countdown events during the Lunar New Year celebration due to the complicated evolution of the novel coronavirus.

Lunar New Year is the longest holiday in Vietnam and an important occasion for family reunions. The 2024 Lunar New Year holiday will begin on February 8 and last until February 14, according to the Vietnamese government's decision.