Vietnam Bans Firecrackers

Young Vietnamese lit sparklers and strings of firecrackers in the final minutes of 1994, using up their stocks before the noisy tradition became illegal at the stroke of midnight.

Like the Chinese from whom they learned the art, Vietnamese have been making firecrackers for centuries. No happy occasion is complete without a firecracker fusillade, and many people set them off even at funerals to chase away evil spirits and the smell of death.

But as of New Year’s Day, making, selling and setting off firecrackers is forbidden and heavy fines await violators. Police began confiscating merchants’ stocks days early and dunking them in water.

Near the central Vietnamese city of Danang, people set off piles of firecrackers during the afternoon, travellers arriving in Hanoi said.

Authorities have been heavily publicizing the reasons for the ban: firecrackers are too dangerous, pollute the environment and waste money that could be spent building the country. Hanoi’s 2.1 million people spend at least $500,000 every year on firecrackers, officials estimate.

They say 71 people were killed and 765 injured by firecrackers during last year’s Tet celebrations.