Apart from a slew of meaningful traditions such as hosting reunions and visiting family graves, Lunar New Year is also an occasion for ugly habits to resurface, such as drunk-driving, fighting and looting.
According to a document released by the National Committee for Traffic Safety, from January 26 to 30, there were 192 traffic accidents in Vietnam, claiming 118 lives and injuring 197 others, reports Tuoi Tre.
The committee report added that while the number of fatalities decreased by 4%, 4% more people were injured this year. None of the fatal accidents occurred in Saigon.
The Ministry of Health also presented statistics showing a staggering increase in the number of drunk driving cases, which is not surprising since, in Saigon alone, citizens downed approximately 40 million liters of beer this Tet.
In a separate article, Tuoi Tre also reports that nearly 1,200 people were hospitalized this year due to food poisoning, a third of which were alcohol-related.
Preliminary reports by the Ministry of Health also recorded 2,200 cases of hospitalization from January 27 to 29 due to fights. These altercations killed 14 people, compared to last year’s 13. The ministry also reported that throughout Vietnam, some 53,000 patients were discharged and 8,000 new babies were delivered during the week-long holiday.
Every year, Saigoneers with a penchant for photography and flower arrangements converge on Nguyen Hue Boulevard’s flower street to enjoy the festive atmosphere and snap a photo or two for their Facebook profile.
While the merits of Saigon’s yearly Tet decoration is a touchy subject, the flower festival is an unfortunate occasion for an ugly new year tradition to rear its head: public looting.
Nguyen Hue’s spring exhibition ended on the fifth day of Tet this year (February 1), and by the end of the day, clans of looters had picked apart orchid displays and periwinkle beds despite barriers set up by the janitorial team.
“We’re intellectuals who love flowers,” an anonymous looter told the stationed security guard, reports Zing, when stopped. “Taking them home is better than trashing them. So wasteful!”
On a happier note, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department shared with Tuoi Tre that there were only 33 criminal cases during this year’s Tet, a 10.81% year-on-year decrease compared to 2016. The city’s fire department also had some good news: there were only 24 fires during the week-long holiday, 67% less than last year’s Tet period.
[Photo via Du Lich Vietnam Hanoi]
