People around the world begin to welcome the New Year 2014

People in several countries around the world have enthusiastically welcomed the New Year 2014 with brilliant fireworks displays, best wishes, and hopes for a peaceful, happy and lucky new year.

The first to welcome the new year were the people on the Pacific island of Kiritimati. The new year arrived here at 10am (GMT), or 5pm Hanoi time on December 31.

Tourists and locals welcome the start of 2014 in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Source: AFP/VNA)

However, the most impressive and brilliant fireworks displays only really begin when the New Year knocks on the doors of New Zealand and Australia.

The main stage for New Zealanders on New Year's Eve is the 328m high Auckland Sky Tower.

At exactly 12 midnight (local time, 6 pm today Hanoi time), fireworks were fired simultaneously, lighting up the Auckland sky, bringing with them hopes for a bright new year.

According to a VNA reporter in Sydney, as one of the first cities in the world to enter the New Year's Eve to welcome the New Year 2014, Sydney marked this honor for Australia with a brilliant and artistic fireworks display.

On a warm New Year's Eve, more than 1.5 million people flocked to fireworks viewing spots in the city to share the joy of welcoming the New Year and wishing for a peaceful world.

The multi-million dollar New Year's Eve fireworks display lit up the Sydney skyline, from Darling Harbour to many other points, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the focal point.

This unique display is a combination of 11,000 artillery shells and 25,000 flowers, blooming from seven locations spanning 6km in the wharf area.

For the first time in a decade, 1,000 fireworks were launched from the top of the Opera House, as well as from the Harbour Bridge.

It is estimated that about 2 million Australians and at least 1 billion people around the world will watch the fireworks in Australia on television.

Many visitors admitted that this was the most beautiful fireworks display ever seen in Sydney.

In Hong Kong (China), the special administrative region government spent millions of dollars to prepare for what is claimed to be the largest fireworks display ever on the island. Crowds stretching for kilometers poured into Victoria Harbor to join the New Year celebrations.

In Singapore, tens of thousands of people gathered on the banks of Marina Bay to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks display.

In Japan, millions of people will visit temples and shrines to pray for the well-being and happiness of their families and loved ones in the new year.

South Korea's capital Seoul will ring 33 bells from a 15th-century bell tower in a traditional ceremony to welcome the new year.

Dubai hopes to set a Guinness World Record with its biggest ever fireworks display.

More than 400,000 fireworks will be launched during the 2014 New Year's Eve celebrations, far surpassing the old world record set by Kuwait in 2011 when 77,282 fireworks were launched within one hour.

Indonesia's capital Jakarta has set up 12 large outdoor stages in the downtown area to showcase traditional arts and culture.

6,500 police officers were deployed on the streets to ensure security after warnings that Islamic extremists could carry out attacks on New Year's Eve./.

According to VNA