Nghe An tightens control of fireworks, proactively from early on, preventing from afar

Dismantling many firecracker trafficking and transportation rings

At the end of October 2025, Tran Van Dung (born 2001, residing in Quan Thanh commune, Nghe An) was caught red-handed while receiving more than 100 kg of foreign-made firecrackers. Dung ordered these firecrackers through an acquaintance while working abroad, disguised in four boxes sent to Vietnam by passenger bus. When the goods arrived at the old Yen Thanh district, Dung organized to receive them but was arrested by the Criminal Police Department of the Provincial Police in coordination with professional units, confiscating 107 kg of firecrackers. On November 4, 2025, the investigation agency prosecuted Dung for "Trading in prohibited goods".

Previously, at 5:00 p.m. on October 21, 2025, on Provincial Road 543 (in Anh Son Commune), Anh Son Commune Police in coordination with the Criminal Police Department and Phuc Son Border Guard Station discovered Le Van Cam (born in 1964, residing in Ban Veu 1, Anh Son Commune) driving a motorbike carrying two suspicious bags. Upon inspection, the authorities discovered 20 boxes of 36-piece fireworks in the bag, weighing more than 23 kg in total. Cam confessed to buying these fireworks to use during Tet and as gifts for relatives.

Since the beginning of 2025, the fight against firecracker crimes has been intensified in the direction of long-range attacks. Through understanding the situation, the Economic Security Department of Nghe An Provincial Police discovered a large network transporting firecrackers from abroad to Vietnam for consumption. After a period of establishing a project and closely monitoring, at 6:00 p.m. on May 14, 2025, in the area of ​​Ho Chi Minh road (in Cao Son commune, Anh Son district, now Yen Xuan commune), the Project Board coordinated with the Commune Police and Road Traffic Police Team No. 3 to arrest two subjects Hoang Canh Uoc (born in 1981) and Cao Thanh Hoa (born in 1994, both residing in Gia Lai) while transporting a large quantity of firecrackers. Although the subjects fiercely resisted, the authorities successfully controlled them and seized 198 boxes of 49-round fireworks, 768 boxes of 36-round fireworks, with a total weight of about 1.5 tons, along with two cars as means of transport.

Not only focusing on dismantling long-distance trading and transportation lines, the local police also increased inspection and handling of homemade firecrackers in the country. Recently, Thanh Vinh Ward Police caught two subjects NVGB (born 2005, residing in Tien Dong Commune) and VTN (born 2003, residing in Quy Hop Commune) making firecrackers at their lodgings, confiscating 31 homemade firecrackers, many bags of chemicals and related tools. Both confessed to buying raw materials online, taking advantage of the dark to make them, and hiding them in household items to avoid detection.

The above cases show that although the authorities regularly propagate and control, many people still disregard the law for profit. This situation tends to increase at the end of the year, when the demand for fireworks during festivals and the Lunar New Year increases.

Increase control, raise public awareness

Nghe An is a large-scale, populous locality with a 468-km border with three Lao provinces (Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay) and 82 km of coastline. This geographical feature makes the control and prevention of illegal fireworks difficult.

According to the authorities, illegal buying, selling, transporting and storing of fireworks often increases at the end of the year. Most of the violators are spontaneous people, students; the tricks are increasingly more sophisticated such as advertising on social networks, taking advantage of express delivery services or passenger cars to deliver goods.

In that situation, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has issued many drastic directives, including Official Dispatch No. 7769/UBND-NC dated August 4, 2025 on strengthening the prevention and control of violations related to weapons, explosives, support tools and fireworks. According to the spirit of the dispatch, localities in the province must mobilize the strength of the entire political system, focus on fighting and strictly handling the acts of smuggling, production, trading, storing and using illegal fireworks, especially before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2026.

In August 2025, 130 communes and wards simultaneously organized the "National Day of Handing Over Weapons, Explosives, Support Tools and Fireworks", thereby collecting many types of firecrackers and fireworks, and at the same time widely propagating to people about the harmful effects and sanctions for violations.

Nghe An Provincial Police is assigned a core role, taking the lead in coordinating with forces such as Border Guard, Market Management, Customs, Industry and Trade... to synchronously deploy professional measures, promptly detect and handle lines and groups trading and transporting firecrackers. Along with that, the police force strengthens control of cyberspace, preventing the sale, instruction on manufacturing or transporting illegal firecrackers through postal and express delivery services.

In parallel with the fight, propaganda and legal education activities were also promoted at the grassroots level. Agencies, organizations and schools organized signing of commitments not to produce, trade, store or use illegal fireworks; integrating propaganda content into the model of "All people protecting national security", contributing to raising awareness and encouraging people to report violations.

The reality from the discovered cases shows that the strengthening of management, control and promotion of propaganda is effective, contributing to significantly limiting the illegal trade and use of fireworks. However, to maintain social order during the upcoming Tet holiday, every citizen needs to raise awareness, absolutely not to assist or participate in behaviors related to fireworks.

A peaceful, safe and complete Tet can only come when the government, functional forces and people join hands - not only to prevent violations, but also to build a civilized lifestyle, respecting the law right from the smallest things.