Lunar New Year in Vietnam: What Tet Means and What It Closes

If you grew up with Diwali, the Lunar New Year in Vietnam will feel oddly familiar. Homes get scrubbed, debts get settled, everyone buys new clothes, and the whole country heads home to family. The Vietnamese call it Tet, short for Tet Nguyen Dan, and the Tet festival is the biggest event on Vietnam's calendar by a long way.

It is also the week that changes a Vietnam trip more than any other. Street stalls close, trains sell out and prices jump. This guide covers both sides: what Tet means and what you will see, and the honest answer to whether you should travel during it.

All dates and prices were checked on 16 October 2026. Rupee figures use 1 INR = 273 VND.

Tet 2027 Dates at a Glance

Tet 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 February 2027, and welcomes the Year of the Goat. Vietnam's Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a seven-day public holiday from 4 to 10 February 2027.

What Lunar New Year in Vietnam Is Really About

Tet marks the first day of the lunar year and the arrival of spring, but at heart it is a homecoming. Vietnamese families return to their home towns, clean the ancestral altar and invite their ancestors back for the holiday. Wherever people live for the rest of the year, Tet is when they go home.

The countdown starts a week early. On the 23rd day of the last lunar month, families say goodbye to Ong Tao, the kitchen gods, who are believed to ride carp up to heaven to report on the household's year. Many families release live carp into a lake or river to carry them. In 2027 that falls on 30 January.

Then comes first-footing, or xong dat. The first person to step into a home after midnight is believed to set its luck for the year, so families choose that visitor carefully. Some hosts slip out just before midnight and walk back in themselves to be sure.

Tet Traditions You Will See

Most Tet traditions are about starting clean and inviting luck, which is why so many of them will look familiar to Indian travellers.

Peach Blossoms, Kumquats and Flower Markets

In the north, homes fill with pink peach blossom and small kumquat trees heavy with fruit. In the south, the flower of choice is yellow mai. Hanoi's traditional Hang Luoc flower market opens only for the last two weeks of the lunar year, roughly 22 January to 5 February in 2027. In Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Hue Street turns into a free flower street for about a week around Tet (2027 dates are usually announced in January).

Li Xi Lucky Money

Li xi lucky money comes in small red envelopes. Elders give them to children, who wish them a healthy year in return, much like shagun at a wedding or Diwali. Amounts are modest, often 20,000 to 100,000 VND (about ₹75 to ₹365) per child, because the red envelope matters more than what is inside it.

Tet Food in Vietnam

Every family table has banh chung, sticky rice packed with mung bean and pork and wrapped in leaves into a square that stands for the earth. In the south, the same idea comes as a cylinder called banh tet. You will also see mam ngu qua, a five-fruit tray on the ancestral altar. Vegetarians should note that both rice cakes usually contain pork.

Visiting Vietnam During Tet: The Honest Answer

Visiting Vietnam during Tet is worth it if you want to see the festival, and frustrating if you came for the food and sightseeing. It depends on which kind of traveller you are.

What Closes, and for How Long

Plan for the core days, 6 to 8 February, to be very quiet. Most street food stalls and small family restaurants close for about a week, and many local markets close for several days. Museums usually shut for three to five days, and banks and government offices for the whole official holiday.

What Stays Open

Larger hotels and their restaurants, international fast-food chains, and convenience stores such as Circle K stay open in the cities. Ride-hailing apps keep running, though with surge pricing. Pagodas and temples are open and at their busiest, which makes them some of the best places to see Tet. If you need a reliable meal, our list of Indian restaurants in Vietnam is a useful backup, but call ahead.

Transport and Prices

Domestic flights, trains and sleeper buses sell out weeks ahead and cost two to three times their usual fare. During Tet 2026, a Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City flight that usually costs about 1.5 million VND (₹5,500) went for 5 million VND (₹18,300) or more. Better hotels raise rates by 20 to 50 percent.

Our Verdict

For most travellers, the best way to see the Lunar New Year in Vietnam is to come in the two weeks before Tet, roughly 22 January to 3 February 2027. The flower markets are up, the streets are decorated and everything is still open. If you want to stay for the festival itself, pick one city, stay put from 4 to 10 February and book everything now. Avoid planning a multi-city route across those days. Our guide to the best time to visit Vietnam covers the rest of the year.

If You Go: A Tet Survival Plan

• Book by November. Flights, trains and hotels for Tet sell out early.
• Carry cash. Withdraw enough before 4 February, since ATMs in tourist areas can run low over the holiday.
• Eat at your hotel or in tourist districts. Stock up on snacks before Tet Eve.
• Wear bright colours. Black and white are linked to funerals; red and yellow are lucky.
• Be a good guest. Don't visit a family on New Year's Day unless invited, avoid arguments, and don't sweep a host's floor, which is said to sweep their luck away.
• Head to the pagodas. Locals visit on the first days of the year to pray for luck, and visitors are welcome if dressed modestly.

Tet vs 31 December

Vietnam celebrates two new years. The international one, on 1 January, is a one-day public holiday with countdown parties in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but life carries on as normal the next day. Tet is the one that matters to families, and the one that shuts the country down. If you want the party without the closures, December and January trips give you both, and our Vietnam winter tour packages cover those months.