Lunar New Year Tết in Vietnam: What Travelers Should Know

Tết, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is the most important holiday of the year in Vietnam. It is a time when families return home, businesses close or reduce their opening hours, and everyday life changes significantly for several days.

For travelers, Tết can be a very interesting time to visit Vietnam — but it requires a different approach to planning. You should not plan a Tết trip in exactly the same way as a normal Vietnam holiday.

The exact dates change every year according to the lunar calendar. Around Tết, domestic flights and other transportation can become much busier, hotels may have limited availability, and many restaurants, shops and attractions operate on reduced schedules or close altogether.

At the same time, this is one of the best periods to see parts of Vietnamese culture that are difficult to experience at other times of the year: flower markets, family preparations, decorated streets, temple visits, traditional foods and the atmosphere of Vietnamese New Year.

1. Understand the traditions and customs of Tết

Tết is much more than a public holiday. For Vietnamese families, it is an important cultural and family occasion with many traditions and symbolic customs.

Cleaning the house before Tết

Before Tết, Vietnamese families traditionally clean and prepare their homes for the new year. The idea is to leave behind the problems and bad luck of the previous year and start the new year with a clean home.

During the first days of Tết, however, traditional customs discourage sweeping the house or throwing things away, as this can symbolically mean sweeping away good luck and prosperity.

Honoring ancestors

Family and ancestors are central to Tết. Vietnamese families prepare and decorate ancestral altars, offer food and burn incense as part of their New Year traditions.

Many families also visit the graves of their ancestors before Tết and make sure they are clean and well maintained.

Red envelopes and lì xì

Children and younger family members often receive red envelopes containing money, known as lì xì. Giving lì xì is associated with good luck, health and prosperity for the new year.

The custom is less about the actual amount of money and more about the good wishes represented by the red envelope.

Flowers and Tết decorations

Vietnamese homes and streets are decorated with flowers, plants and other symbols associated with the New Year.

In southern Vietnam, yellow apricot blossoms (mai) are particularly associated with Tết, while peach blossoms (đào) are traditionally more common in northern Vietnam. Kumquat trees are also popular and are associated with prosperity and abundance.

You will also see red decorations, lanterns, calligraphy and other New Year symbols throughout Vietnamese cities and towns.

For a traveler, these preparations are often one of the most interesting parts of Tết — especially in the days leading up to the holiday, when flower markets and local streets become much more active.

Food is an important part of Tết, and the dishes you encounter can vary between northern, central and southern Vietnam. Some are prepared specifically for the New Year, while others are simply common family dishes during the holiday.

A few of the foods you are most likely to encounter include:

• Bánh chưng – A square sticky rice cake filled with mung beans and pork and traditionally wrapped in banana leaves. It is strongly associated with Tết, particularly in northern Vietnam, and is often prepared several days before the holiday.
• Bánh tét – A cylindrical sticky rice cake that is especially common in southern and central Vietnam. Savory versions usually contain mung beans and pork, while sweet versions can have different fillings.
• Xôi gấc – Sticky rice colored deep red with gấc fruit. The red color is traditionally associated with good luck and prosperity, which makes this dish particularly suitable for Tết celebrations.
• Thịt kho tàu – Pork and eggs slowly cooked with coconut water, fish sauce and caramelized sugar. It is particularly associated with Tết in southern Vietnam and is often prepared in larger quantities for family meals.
• Nem rán – Vietnamese fried spring rolls, commonly filled with meat, seafood, mushrooms, noodles and vegetables. They are not exclusive to Tết, but they are a familiar part of many Vietnamese family meals and celebrations.

If you are traveling during Tết, do not expect every restaurant to offer its normal menu. Some family-run restaurants close for several days, while others operate with a smaller menu. This is one of the practical differences between visiting Vietnam during Tết and traveling at other times of the year.

Tết changes the rhythm of everyday life in Vietnam. Families spend more time together, people visit relatives and temples, and cities and neighborhoods are decorated for the New Year.

For travelers, some of the most interesting experiences are often found in the days immediately before Tết as well as during the first days of the holiday.

Visit temples and pagodas

Visiting temples and pagodas is an important part of Tết for many Vietnamese people. People come to pray for health, happiness and good fortune in the new year, and some also draw fortune sticks or take part in other traditional rituals.

Popular places in Hanoi include Ngoc Son Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda. In Ho Chi Minh City, Jade Emperor Pagoda and Thien Hau Temple are among the places associated with local religious and cultural traditions.

Opening hours and visitor conditions can change during Tết, so these visits should be checked as part of your itinerary rather than simply assumed to be available.

See the Tết decorations and public celebrations

In larger cities, you can usually find decorated streets, flower displays, New Year markets and public celebrations around Tết.

Fireworks and other events may also take place around New Year's Eve, although the exact locations and schedules vary from year to year.

For many visitors, the preparations before Tết are just as interesting as the holiday itself. Flower markets become busy, homes and businesses are decorated, and families prepare traditional food and gifts.

Experience traditional games and local customs

Traditional games are also part of Tết celebrations. Depending on where you are, you may see games such as bầu cua, a traditional betting game using animal symbols, or cờ tướng, Vietnamese chess.

These activities are mainly interesting as part of the local atmosphere rather than something you need to build an entire itinerary around.

4. The most important thing to know: Tết changes normal travel logistics

This is where traveling during Tết becomes different from a normal trip to Vietnam.

Many businesses and attractions close or operate with reduced opening hours during the main Tết holiday. This can include family-run restaurants, shops, museums and some tourist attractions. The situation varies by city and by the exact day of the holiday, so it is better to check individual opening schedules than to assume that everything will be open or closed.

Transportation also requires more planning. Vietnamese people travel home to spend Tết with their families, so flights, trains and other forms of transport can become particularly busy around the holiday period.

Accommodation and transportation should therefore be arranged well in advance, especially if your itinerary includes domestic flights or popular destinations.

Is Tết a good time to visit Vietnam?

It depends on what you want from the trip.

If your main interest is Vietnamese culture, local traditions and seeing the country during one of its most important annual celebrations, Tết can be a very good time to visit.

If, however, you want a straightforward sightseeing holiday where restaurants, museums, shops and attractions operate normally every day, another period may be easier.

The key is not to avoid Vietnam during Tết. It is to plan the trip differently.

A Tết itinerary should usually include:

• fewer hotel changes

• transportation booked well in advance

• realistic sightseeing plans

• flexibility around opening hours

• accommodation in convenient locations

• alternative options in case a restaurant or attraction is closed

• enough free time to experience the atmosphere instead of rushing between destinations

This is also why a standard itinerary copied from a normal travel period does not always work well during Tết.

5. Plan your Vietnam trip around Tết

Tết can give you a very different view of Vietnam, but it is not simply a normal holiday with a few extra decorations.

The best Tết itinerary is one that takes the holiday itself into account. That means deciding where you want to be during the main days of Tết, allowing for changes in transportation and opening hours, and choosing destinations and activities that still make sense during the holiday period.