In Hanoi, there will be 15 minutes of high-altitude fireworks starting at midnight at Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake in Hoan Kiem District, Thong Nhat Park in Dong Da District and My Dinh Stadium in Nam Tu Liem District.

The capital has not set off fireworks on New Year since 2016 after the government called on province and city administrations to use that money to help poor people instead.

Countdown events and art performances will take place in downtown Hanoi, with the two biggest being staged at August Revolution Square and in front of Hanoi Opera House on Thursday night.

At Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square by the iconic Hoan Kiem Lake, there will be a light show and art performances from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city, will ring in the New Year with fireworks and music concerts.

The 15-minute fireworks displays will begin at midnight at the Landmark Tower 81, the country's tallest building in Binh Thanh District; Thu Thiem Tunnel that links Districts 1 and 2; Dam Sen Cultural Park in District 11, and Saigon Hi-Tech Park in District 9. Nguyen Hue Street in the downtown area will be closed off for a countdown event.

Da Nang, a popular tourism city in the central region, will have a countdown event at September 2 Square.

There will also be flower boat parades, night cruises on the Han River, a noodle festival, and street music and art performances, which are expected to welcome many visitors back to the city.

Da Nang has for long been famous for its annual international fireworks competition, and generally popular with foreign tourists, but a Covid-19 outbreak in July hit its tourism sector hard.

There will be a countdown event starting at 9 p.m. Thursday in Thua Thien-Hue Province, home to the former imperial capital Hue, while neighboring Quang Binh, home to UNESCO heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, will have a countdown party and traditional water puppetry and folk art performances.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island in the south, will have a music show and fireworks.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau, home to popular beach town Vung Tau, will have a food festival and art performances at Front Beach Park.

Vietnam’s Covid-19 tally stands at 1,456 with 35 deaths in a population of 96 million. It has now gone 28 days without local transmission.