From quarantine centers to downtown areas in major cities, Vietnamese set out to welcome the Lunar New Year with customary enthusiasm. 

On the last day before Tet, many people in the central city of Da Nang closed their shops early to spend their time decorating the houses. While the usual milling crowds were missing, residents still flocked to places like the flower promenade by the Han River in the afternoon to soak in the Tet atmosphere.

In the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, people queued up for accessible attractions like the flower road despite the cancellation of cultural performance and firework shows. At the Ninh Kieu area to visit the flower road, which would close at 10 p.m., five days earlier than schedule over Covid-19 fear, people patiently waited their turn for temperature checks, wearing masks and sanitizing their hands before gaining entry.

In Chi Linh Town of Hai Duong Province, where a lockdown is in force, a quarantine center with nine inmates created a festive mood with a beautifully decorated blackboard and a table laden with fruits and other goodies. Phan Kien of Hai Duong said this is not the first time that he has celebrated Tet far away from home, but it was definitely the most special one.

The usual crowd was missing in downtown Hanoi, but many intrepid residents gathered on the banks of the Hoan Kien Lake to walk around the decorated area and enjoy the Lunar New Year’s Eve.

A family buys balloons for their kids on Hanoi’s Trang Tien Street.

A Hanoi street vendor selling cotton candy, several snacks and small toys has not let pandemic blues dampen her hopes for good business on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

In Ho Chi Minh City, people gathered outside the Nguyen Hue walking street, enjoying the buffalo themed decorations. The street closes at 5 p.m., instead of late at night as in previous years, to limit crowd gathering.

People venturing out on Lunar New Year’s Eve had the opportunity to have photographs taken with the God of Wealth near the Nguyen Hue Street in HCMC.

The weather in Nha Trang is pretty nice during this time, but the city is not as crowded as last year.

Le Van Dai, 31, takes his two-year-old daughter out just to buy her a balloon because he is aware of the pandemic.

"I hope we will defeat the pandemic this year," he said.

Fireworks lit up the sky above Hanoi as the clock struck midnight on Lunar New Year's Eve. The colorful displays spread cheer and warmth despite muted celebrations on account of the latest Covid-19 outbreaks that have reached 13 localities.

Hanoi cut its fireworks shows from the planned 30 to one, and audiences were banned, while many other cities including HCMC cancelled theirs to prevent crowd gathering and save money for Covid-19 fight.

Photo by Ngoc Thanh.