Nha Trang at Christmas and New Year: Night Run, Miss Cosmo and Holiday Dates

By late December, the hotels and cafés around April 2 Square (Quảng trường 2 Tháng 4) are strung with lights and the seafront fills up after dark. Four nights between mid-December and mid-January are worth planning around, each drawing a different crowd: runners on the beach road, churchgoers at the cathedral, a pageant final on an island and, depending on the announced program, possible New Year's Eve crowds around the square.

Event calendar, December to February (updated October 18, 2026) #

Is Christmas a holiday in Vietnam? #

No. Christmas is not on the list of public holidays in Vietnam's Labor Code, so December 24 and 25 are ordinary working days. Christmas lights and church services are part of the evening scene.

New Year's Day is a one-day public holiday. In 2027, January 1 falls on a Friday, so anyone with weekends off gets three days in a row, January 1 to 3.

Lunar New Year, or Tet, is the big one: in 2027 the first day falls on Saturday, February 6, and the public-sector break runs from February 4 to 10, while private employers choose from three government-set options. If your dates overlap, book transport early and ask your hotel when nearby restaurants reopen.

The night run on December 12 #

The Nha Trang Night Run takes place on the evening of Saturday, December 12. All three distances, 5 km, 10 km and 21 km, start and finish at April 2 Square and follow the seafront along Tran Phu (Trần Phú) and Pham Van Dong (Phạm Văn Đồng) streets, with the 21 km reaching the Bai Tien (Bãi Tiên) area to the north. On the registration page's provisional schedule, race kits are handed out on race day, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the 21 km, 10 km and 5 km start at 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Times may change.

Photo: Phương Huy

If you want to run

Registration is on timve365.vn until November 12, 2026. Fees are VND500,000, VND600,000 and VND800,000 for the 5, 10 and 21 km until October 30, then VND650,000, VND750,000 and VND1,000,000 from October 31 (as of October 2026). Fees are not refundable, and distance changes must be made before registration closes.

Check eligibility before you pay: the race rules list Vietnamese runners and foreigners living in Vietnam, even though runners from Russia, South Korea and the US are expected. If you are visiting as a tourist, ask the ticketing team first on +84 977 005 090 (Zalo) or [email protected].

Minimum ages are 10 for the 5 km, 14 for the 10 km and 16 for the 21 km, and under-18s must be registered by a parent or legal guardian. Cutoffs are 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 hours. The rules exclude anyone not fit to run, especially people with a history of heart or respiratory disease; if you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before entering.

If you are just in town that night

The route map and traffic plan are still pending, but the course follows the main beach road. If your hotel fronts Tran Phu or Pham Van Dong, ask reception how cars will get in and out that evening before booking a pickup, and book an airport car earlier than usual if you fly out that night.

To cheer, stand on the seafront sidewalk near the square. Do not cross the road while runners are coming through; cross only where marshals direct you.

Christmas Eve at Nha Trang Cathedral #

The cathedral, officially Christ the King Cathedral, sits on a small hill on Thai Nguyen (Thái Nguyên) Street near the Nga Sau roundabout. In the sources we checked up to October 18, including the Diocese of Nha Trang website, we found no 2026 Christmas Eve Mass times; we will update this page in early December. Do not rely on previous years' schedules, and do not assume a Mass in a language other than Vietnamese.

December 24 falls on a Thursday this year. Worshippers, sightseers and photographers all use the same way up the hill. If you are staying near the cathedral, walking saves you the search for parking; from farther away, take a ride-hail car, get out where the road is still clear before the roundabout and walk the rest.

To attend Mass, arrive early for a seat; to see the lights, stay in the courtyard or at the foot of the hill and leave the paths clear. Dress as you would for any place of worship, with shoulders covered and trousers or a skirt below the knee. During Mass, keep quiet, silence your phone, skip the flash and keep the aisles clear.

For unhurried photos, visit on a late afternoon before the holidays, and keep Christmas Eve for a stroll past the lights downtown.

Miss Cosmo: the final on January 16 #

Miss Cosmo 2026, an international pageant hosted in Vietnam, runs from December 25, 2026 to January 16, 2027, with more than 90 contestants expected. It starts in Ho Chi Minh City and visits several other provinces before the judging session on January 13 and the final on January 16 at World Tea Resort Nha Trang on Tri Nguyen Island.

Photo: Liftold (Wikipedia tiếng Việt)

As of October 18, 2026, the organizers had not announced tickets or how the public can watch the final. If tickets go on sale, buy only through channels the organizers publish, check who is selling before paying, and ask whether the ticket includes the boat transfer and when the last boat back leaves. Unless you plan to attend the final, there is little reason to change your travel dates.

New Year's Eve: no program yet, but you can choose where to stay #

In the sources we checked up to October 18, 2026, we found no countdown or fireworks announcement for December 31 in Nha Trang. Thuong Hieu va Cong Luan reports plans for a series of provincial New Year events in December and January at April 2 Square and at April 16 Square (Quảng trường 16 Tháng 4). The second is in Phan Rang, about 100 km south.

For now, choose somewhere you could walk back to after the celebrations, such as the central Tran Phu area or the streets behind it, like Biet Thu (Biệt Thự) and Hung Vuong (Hùng Vương). If you stay farther out, plan your late-night ride home, when everyone books at once, and bring a light rain jacket if you will be out past midnight.

On December 31, 2025 and for the Miss World final in September 2026, the stretch of Tran Phu in front of April 2 Square, roughly between Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai) and Le Thanh Ton (Lê Thánh Tôn) streets, was closed or restricted at set times. If this year's event is held there too, cars may not be able to reach hotel entrances on that stretch; ask reception where pickups will happen before booking an airport transfer.

Photo: Christophe95

We found no year-end program yet from the resorts and theme park on Hon Tre (Hòn Tre) Island either. To see in the New Year there, check how to get across and the last crossing, and whether your ticket covers the evening program.

Booking rooms, flights and day trips #

New Year's Eve and the first weekend of 2027 are the nights to book first, ideally on free-cancellation rates. Ask whether the rates for December 24 and 31 include a surcharge or a compulsory gala dinner and how children are charged; at resorts, check the New Year's Eve dinner most carefully. Before sending a deposit, run through these checks. If you can only travel over January 1 to 3, lock in your flight or train early.

December still brings rain and the year's strongest northeast wind; January is drier but still breezy. Book island trips close to the day, once the wave forecast is clear and boats are cleared to sail.

Nha Trang holiday season FAQ #