VietNamNet Bridge – The Ha Noi People's Committee has approved a proposal to spend about VND22.8 billion (US$1.07 million) on the festive lighting system for this year's holidays, double last year's budget.

Ha Noi's Hai Ba Trung Street festooned with lights last year. The city plans to spend roughly US$1.07 million on festive lighting this year.

Vice chairman of the committee, Nguyen Quoc Hung, said the committee agreed with the municipal Department of Construction's plan to double spending on lighting decorations in the city. The money will be spent on upgrading the existing lighting system and installing extra lighting on major streets around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake and Ba Dinh Square, such as Hang Bai, Van Cao and Hung Vuong and Phan Dinh Phung.

The department was asked to install the lighting system on 18 streets across the city before Tet (Lunar New Year), which falls on February 19. This system will be re-used for other holidays.

Hoang Nam Son, deputy director of the Construction Department said the department would initially spend VND9.6 billion ($451,200) for decorative lighting on the Tet holiday.

Last year, Ha Noi spent almost VND11 billion ($517,000) to install lighting systems in the city. Three-quarters of the city's lighting system wiring was old and not very safe and 19 per cent of light bulbs were old, resulting in ineffective lighting and electricity wastage, according to the department.

VNS