What Is Tết?
Tết Nguyên Đán — commonly shortened to Tết — is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and the most important holiday in the Vietnamese calendar. Falling between late January and mid-February depending on the lunar cycle, Tết marks the arrival of spring and is a time for family reunion, ancestral reverence, and fresh beginnings.
Think of it as Christmas, New Year's Eve, and a major family homecoming all rolled into one. For travellers, it's one of the most visually spectacular and culturally rich times to visit Vietnam — if you know what to expect.
When Does Tết Take Place?
Tết follows the lunisolar calendar and typically falls between 21 January and 20 February. The official public holiday spans three days, but in practice, celebrations begin several days before and continue for up to two weeks. Many businesses close for a week or more, particularly in residential and local neighbourhoods.
How Vietnamese Families Celebrate
Tết is deeply family-centred. The weeks leading up to the holiday involve intensive preparation:
- House cleaning: Homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away bad luck from the previous year.
- Decorating: Peach blossom trees (hoa đào) in the north and yellow apricot blossoms (hoa mai) in the south are central to Tết décor, alongside kumquat trees and red lanterns.
- Ancestor worship: Elaborate offerings are placed on family altars, and prayers are made to honour deceased relatives.
- Special foods: Bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake in the north) and bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake in the south) are prepared and shared. Other traditional dishes include pickled onions, braised pork and eggs, and various sweets.
- Lucky money (lì xì): Elders give red envelopes containing money to children and younger family members as a symbol of good fortune.
Public Celebrations and Spectacle
Beyond private family gatherings, Tết transforms Vietnam's public spaces:
- Flower markets: In the days before Tết, cities host massive outdoor flower markets — Hanoi's Quảng Bá flower market is famous, as is Ho Chi Minh City's Nguyễn Huệ Flower Street.
- Fireworks: Major cities launch fireworks displays at midnight on New Year's Eve.
- Dragon and lion dances: Colourful performances take place at temples, businesses, and public squares to bring good luck.
- Temple visits: On the first days of the new year, Vietnamese people visit pagodas and temples to pray for health, prosperity, and happiness in the year ahead.
Travelling During Tết: What Visitors Should Know
Tết is a wonderful time to experience Vietnamese culture — but it comes with practical challenges for tourists:
- Many businesses close: Restaurants, shops, and tourist services in local neighbourhoods may shut for several days to a week. Tourist-facing businesses in major cities typically stay open.
- Transport is busy: Trains, buses, and flights fill up weeks in advance as millions of Vietnamese travel home. Book transport early.
- Prices rise: Accommodation and transport costs increase significantly around the holiday period.
- It's genuinely special: If you can navigate the logistics, witnessing the flower markets, the temple crowds at dawn, and the fireworks is an unforgettable experience.
Tết Etiquette for Visitors
- Wish locals "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year) — it's always warmly received.
- Dress modestly when visiting pagodas and temples during the holiday.
- Avoid giving gifts in black or white wrapping — these colours are associated with mourning.
- If invited into a Vietnamese home during Tết, it's a great honour. Bring fruit or sweets as a gift.
Tết Beyond the Cities
If you want a more authentic Tết experience, consider heading to smaller towns or rural areas. Provinces like Hà Giang, Ninh Bình, and the Mekong Delta offer quieter celebrations rooted in tradition, away from the tourist infrastructure of major cities.
Tết is, at its heart, a celebration of family, continuity, and hope. Even as a visitor, being present for it even briefly leaves a lasting impression of what makes Vietnamese culture so enduring.