Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested a 20-year-old man for possessing a large amount of firecrackers and attempting to sell them for a profit.

The police unit in District 5 confirmed on Thursday they had apprehended Luong Vinh Long, 20, for the illegal storage of firecrackers.

On the morning of the same day, a team of on-duty officers caught Long standing in front of Ong Bon Pagoda on Hai Thuong Lang Ong Street and carrying a large cardboard box.

As the young man was showing some suspicious signs, the officers decided to check what was inside the box.

Before the policemen could take a look, Long already admitted he was carrying a total of 2,500 units of round-shaped firecrackers and 120 fireworks tubes.

At the police station, Long claimed he has been selling confetti cannons in front of Ong Bon Pagoda for the past two years.

As many customers asked him whether he sold firecrackers, Long decided to purchase the products from a seller on Facebook.

At around 3:00 am on Thursday, Long received the firecrackers from an unidentified man and paid him VND19 million (US$817).

He was about to sell the products to his customers when he was caught red-handed by police officers.

Lighting firecrackers used to be one of the common activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.

Since 1995, firecrackers have been banned by the law as they create a high risk of fire and explosion.

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