Celebrating Tet Festival in Vietnam: Everything You Need to Know

Not to be confused with Tet Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival), Tet Nguyen Dan is Vietnam's Lunar New Year celebration and the country's most important annual holiday.

The days leading up to the Lunar New Year in Vietnam are always buzzing with pre-holiday excitement, with locals zipping around town shopping for gifts and preparing for their annual pilgrimage back to their hometowns. Lunar New Year's Day is the polar opposite, giving tourists the chance to experience a quieter side of Vietnam while locals spend time with family.

Travelling to Vietnam during the Tet Festival comes with a few challenges, too. But with a little preparation, your trip will be a smooth one.

Planning a trip to Vietnam during the Tet holiday? To help you make the most of your trip, this guide has everything you need to know - from the best places to celebrate Tet to how to avoid travel challenges over the holiday period.

Tet is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The holiday is the biggest in Vietnam, with the official public holiday lasting from five to nine days, depending on the year. It's a time to celebrate the arrival of spring, honour ancestors, spend quality time with family, and get a fresh start for the new year.

Unlike the Western New Year, which is celebrated on 1 January of the Gregorian calendar, the date of Tet changes each year based on the lunar calendar. However, it usually occurs between late January and mid-February.

In 2026, Tet (Lunar New Year's Day) is on Tuesday 17 February. However, the official government holiday is nine days, from Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February. Preparations will begin weeks, and even months, in advance.

One of the best parts of visiting Vietnam during Tet is experiencing the many interesting and festive local traditions. Here's a snapshot of key Tet Festival traditions.

• Cleaning homes: Many Vietnamese families will thoroughly clean their homes ahead of the holiday - essentially sweeping away bad luck and kicking off the new year with a fresh start.
• Symbolic decorations: You'll see so many auspicious decorations during Tet, including kumquat trees, peach and apricot blossoms, yellow chrysanthemums, red lanterns, and fruit platters.
• Red envelopes: Red envelopes (li xi) are another ubiquitous sight during the Tet Festival. These are traditionally filled with 'lucky money' and gifted to young children.
• Lion and dragon dances: These drum-fuelled performances help scare away evil spirits and bring prosperity for the new year.
• Fireworks: Fireworks play a huge role in Tet, as the loud explosions ward off evil and bring good luck.
• Foods: The most common foods you'll encounter during Lunar New Year in Vietnam are banh chung (in the north) and banh tet (in the centre and south). These glutinous rice cakes are often filled with mung beans and pork belly and wrapped in banana leaves.
• Visiting ancestral graves: Worshipping and paying respect to ancestors is a major part of the Tet holiday. You can expect families to visit ancestral graves to clean the site and make offerings, like fruit, banh chung or banh tet, and incense.

Tet is such a wonderful time to be in Vietnam, but each destination celebrates just a little bit differently.

Whether you ring in the Vietnamese Lunar New Year on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City or the beaches of Phu Quoc, you can expect spectacular flower displays, beautiful fireworks shows, family-friendly lion and dragon dances, and a festive atmosphere.

Ho Chi Minh City is such a fun destination to visit during Tet Nguyen Dan. In the week leading up to the holiday, the streets are decked out with yellow apricot blossoms, kumquat trees, red envelopes, and red and yellow Vietnamese flags, with places like Nguyen Hue Walking Street and Lantern Street being prime spots to experience the pre-holiday frenzy.

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, you can expect fireworks to explode over the Saigon River, as the entire city turns into one giant street party. New Year's Day and the days that follow are quiet, making this a prime time to explore Ho Chi Minh City without the crowds and traffic.

Similar to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi will also be beautifully adorned in red and gold during Tet. However, instead of apricot blossoms, you'll see endless peach blossoms. In Hanoi's Old Quarter, there's always an explosion of holiday decorations and excitement, while nearby Hoan Kiem Lake is where to be on New Year's Eve to see the annual fireworks show and lion dances.

Danang doesn't always get as much attention as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but this lovely seaside city is easily one of the best places to celebrate Tet. Must-see Tet holiday attractions include the flower-filled Bach Dang Street, the Lunar New Year's Eve fireworks show over the Han River, and nearby Hoi An Ancient Town, which will be all decked out in lanterns and Tet decorations.

If you'd prefer to spend your holiday at the beach instead of a big city, then a getaway to Phu Quoc is your best bet. When you're not relishing the island's tropical sunshine and golden beaches, you can enjoy the island's low-key Tet festivities.

Sample traditional Lunar New Year foods and flowers at Duong Dong Market, watch the fireworks show in Duong Dong Town, see lion dances at Dinh Cau Temple, and treat yourself to lavish holiday dinners at one of the many oceanfront restaurants.

Because most of Vietnam gets a full week of vacation over Tet, people travel en masse during this time. Expect flights and long-haul buses to book up weeks and even months in advance, and roads to be ultra-busy in the days leading up to and following the official holiday period.

For this reason, it's best to avoid travelling long distances during Tet if you can avoid it. If you do plan on travelling between cities, book your flights, buses, or rental cars well ahead of time.

It should go without saying that you'll want to book your travel well in advance instead of waiting until the last minute. Even if you do plan ahead, prices in popular Vietnamese destinations can be higher during Tet. So just be prepared for higher price tags over the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Many businesses will close over Tet. In big cities, like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, you won't have to worry too much - plenty of restaurants and tourist attractions will remain open. However, in small towns, many local businesses will close up shop for the entire holiday. Plan ahead so you don't go hungry.

In 2026, Tet is on Tuesday 17 February. However, the official government holiday is nine days, from Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February.

The Vietnamese holiday Tet celebrates the Lunar New Year. It is also a time for families to celebrate the arrival of spring, honour ancestors, and welcome a fresh start for a prosperous new year.

Yes, Tet is a public holiday in Vietnam. In fact, it's the biggest public holiday in the country. Each year, the government announces the official dates of the Tet holiday, which can last anywhere from five to nine days.

The best places to celebrate Tet Festival are Ho Chi Minh City to experience the frenzy leading up to the holiday, Hanoi to see fireworks over Hoan Kiem Lake, Danang to see the flowers on Bach Dang Street and the lanterns in Hoi An, and Phu Quoc for a quiet beach vacation.

Travellers can respectfully engage with Tet traditions and rituals of Tet Festival is by accepting an invitation to a local's home for a celebratory Tet meal., which offers the most authentic way to experience the holiday. If that isn't possible, greeting people with "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year) and offering small, thoughtful gifts like flowers or fruit baskets will go a long way.

The best places to stay during Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan) depend entirely on what type of trip you're planning. Whether you're looking for a budget-friendly hotel or a five-star stay, Accor has a wide variety of hotels all over Vietnam.

To find the perfect hotel for your Tet holiday, you can check out your options on ALL.com or on the ALL.com mobile app. Plus, if you join the ALL Accor loyalty programme, not only will you get the best price, but you'll get reward points and exclusive benefits to enjoy during your trip to Vietnam.