Society

Hanoi's usually traffic-clogged streets were unusually quiet on the first morning of the Lunar New Year, with blaring horns replaced by a rare calm in the cool early-spring air.

A cold front is set to hit northern Vietnam before dawn on February 17, the first day of the Lunar New Year, spreading southwards and bringing cooler weather, with severe cold in mountainous areas.

State President Luong Cuong, on behalf of Party and State leaders, delivers the Lunar New Year message.

Fireworks lit up skies across Vietnam at midnight as the country ushered in the Lunar New Year, with millions celebrating in scenes of colour and jubilation.

People across Vietnam gathered in provincial and city centres on Monday night, eagerly counting down to the Lunar New Year in a festive atmosphere.

Vietnamese maritime rescue forces brought a Georgian crew member ashore for emergency treatment overnight after he fell critically ill on a tanker off the coast of Khanh Hoa Province.

PM Pham Minh Chinh has urged sanitation workers to take pride in their “silent” but vital role, while calling on the public to cooperate in keeping Hanoi clean in the run-up to the Lunar New Year.

Police in the northern province of Ninh Binh will deploy drones to monitor and record the illegal use of firecrackers on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

Pet care providers in Ho Chi Minh City are reporting a sharp rise in demand during the Lunar New Year holiday, as owners seek grooming, boarding and exercise services for their animals.

Thirty-four people were killed and 31 injured in 52 traffic accidents nationwide on February 14, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, theTraffic Police Department reported.

The celebration featured cultural performances and traditional Tet cuisine, leaving a warm impression of a united Vietnamese community and the growing Vietnam-France friendship.

Cuba will facilitate AgriVMA’s rice project in Los Palacios, with plans to replicate the model nationwide, Deputy Agriculture Minister Telce Abdel González said.

Hanoi traffic police carried out overnight alcohol checks across the city on February 13, handling dozens of drink-driving violations.

Flower growers in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong are working overnight as Tet demand surges, with some farms reporting orders up 50 per cent or more.

Sunny days and largely dry nights are expected to dominate the weather in Ho Chi Minh City and southern Vietnam during the Lunar New Year or Tet holiday, meteorologists said.

Confectionery streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter are crowded with shoppers and lines of motorbikes as Tet draws near.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year or Tet, Binh Dong Wharf flower market in HCM City once again takes on its traditional, vibrant charm, drawing crowds of residents to shop and stroll.

Hanoi Police handed over on February 13 an internationally wanted Korean national to the Republic of Korea (RoK) police in accordance with legal procedures.

A driver and the owner of a passenger coach have been fined a combined VND 207 million (about USD 7,870) after a 45-seat vehicle was found carrying 83 passengers on an expressway.