Hanoi has been calling for local residents to turn off lights and lit candles at 8:30 pm on November 19 to pay tribute to Covid-19 victims and those who lost their lives fighting coronavirus, according to the municipal People's Committee.

The ceremony at Thong Nhat Park, lasting for around 30-45 minutes, the municipal People’s Committee said, will be live broadcast on Vietnam Television channel with the attendance of around 300 people, including relatives of those who died of Covid-19. 

“The requiem aims to share the pain and loss suffered by tens of thousands of families whose dear ones perished due to the pandemic,” a representative of the organizing board for Hanoi’s major celebrations said.

The ceremony is expected to show images and videos regarding the Covid-19 fight in Vietnam. Participants would light lanterns and let them float on Ba Mau Lake inside the park as tribute, providing that they must be fully vaccinated and test negative for the coronavirus within the last 72 hours.

Hanoi pays tribute to Covid-19 victims and those fighting coronavirus. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Religious institutions like churches and pagodas would ring their bells at 8:30 pm and the city would suspend all entertainment activities during the ceremony.

Besides Hanoi, at 8:35 pm on November 19, a candlelight vigil and incense offering ritual will also be performed in Thu Duc City and all districts of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to pray for the victims of the pandemic. All religious establishments in the city will ring bells while vessels at ports will honk their horn.

The localities ask residents to turn off lights and light candles in memory of the deceased at the same moment.

Buddhist temples and establishments across the country, especially in coronavirus hotspots, will also ring the bell, light candles, offer incense, and pray for those who died from Covid-19 at 8:00 pm tonight, in response to the national requiem for the dead victims of the coronavirus.

The requiems for Covid-19 dead victims will be carried out in compliance with pandemic prevention rules.  

This is an opportunity to promote the tradition of great solidarity and the will of the nation to overcome difficulties, adapt safely and flexibly to and effectively control the Covid-19 pandemic, and restore production and business, and socio-economic development.

Vietnam has recorded over a million Covid-19 cases, with over 23,400 deaths as of November 19, with 41.5% of them being men, 58.5% women, and 86.5% aged above 50.

Buddhist light candles in memory of the deceased Covid-19 victims. Photo: Phuong Nam

The ceremony included the Buddhist rituals of praying, offering incense, and chanting.

Vice-Chairman of the Council Thich Le Trang said Covid-19 has caused great pain and losses for humanity.

"The requiem, in response to the call of the State, was held to warm the hearts of their relatives," he said, adding that the event also calls on people to raise vigilance against the pandemic.

HCMC, Vietnam’s epicenter of the fourth coronavirus wave, has recorded over 17,000 Covid-19 deaths so far.