Vietnam rang in the Lunar New Year 2023, the Year of the Cat, with spectacular fireworks shows on Saturday.

After 2 years of suspension due to COVID-19,  fireworks were displayed at 30 locations in Hanoi, where locals are celebrating Vietnam’s largest national holiday with high hopes for a better year.

HCM city residents enjoyed fireworks at 6 locations including the Thu Thiem Tunnel and the Dam Sen Cultural Park.

In Da Nang city, fireworks were launched at Nguyen Van Troi bridge and the administrative centers of Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang districts.

In Israel, the Vietnamese Embassy hosted a program featuring traditional Lunar New Year activities including wrapping Chung cakes, arranging a fruit tray, preparing a Tet feast, and giving lucky money.

The Lunar New Year Festival is also celebrated in Kobe of Japan, Bratislava and Kosice of Slovakia, and at Sapa trade center in Prague of the Czech Republic.

In California, the Vietnamese community are joining other Asian communities in celebrating the Lunar New Year as an official state holiday for the first time anywhere in the US.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill last year declaring Lunar New Year to be a state holiday — a way to “acknowledge the diversity and cultural significance Asian Americans bring to California.”

Source: VOV5