Hanoi’s sky ablaze with New Year fireworks
At exactly midnight on the first day of the 2026 Lunar New Year, vibrant fireworks lit up the capital’s sky, drawing cheers and applause from crowds who welcomed the moment with joyful excitement and heartfelt wishes for a prosperous year ahead.
Hoan Kiem Lake glows under thousands of lights and dazzling fireworks on Lunar New Year’s Eve welcoming the 2026 Year of the Horse. Photos: Viet Thanh/The Hanoi Times
During the 2026 Year of the Horse Lunar New Year, Hanoi staged fireworks displays at 33 locations with 34 launch sites from 12:00 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. on February 17, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Of these, 11 sites featured high-altitude fireworks combined with low-level displays and pyrotechnic effects, while 23 locations across the city hosted low-altitude shows.
Each high-altitude launch site used 700 fireworks shells, along with 60 low-level fireworks racks and 30 pyrotechnic and fountain-effect units. For low-altitude locations, 120 fireworks racks were installed at each site, ensuring a relatively balanced scale of displays across different areas of the city.
The 15-minute fireworks display on Lunar New Year’s Eve in the capital created a striking highlight at the moment of welcoming the 2026 Year of the Horse.
At Hoan Kiem Lake, fireworks were launched from two directions: in front of the headquarters of the Hanoi Press and Broadcasting Agency on Le Thai To Street and near Hoa Phong Tower on Dinh Tien Hoang Street, on the Hanoi Post Office side.
Fireworks soared and converged above the center of Hoan Kiem Lake, blending with laser lights to create radiant bursts across the Hanoi sky.
Brilliant fireworks light up Dong Da Lake on Lunar New Year’s Eve in Hanoi.
Glittering bursts of fireworks illuminated the Hanoi sky, kindling hopes for a year filled with the very best and renewed momentum for stronger economic growth in the capital and the nation.
In the My Dinh area, fireworks lit up the entire night sky.
