Tet (Tết) in Vietnam: Holiday Dates, What Is Open and Travel Tips
Tet, the Lunar New Year, is Vietnam's biggest holiday. The first day falls on Saturday, February 6, and the official break runs for a week around it. You can travel well at this time if you book transport and a refundable room early, plan around the days when many shops and restaurants close, and avoid the resorts on their busiest days.
Written by Tụi mình mê biểnPublished Updated
Photo: trungydang
About two weeks before Tet, airports and train stations hit their peak and flower markets spring up on street corners. On the first morning of the new year, many streets in Hanoi (Hà Nội) and Ho Chi Minh City go quiet, shop shutters stay down and the pagodas fill with families. From the second day, the crowds head for the beaches and the hills.
Tet 2027 dates and the official holiday #
| Date | Lunar date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 22, 2027 | 12th month, day 15 | Vietjet's Tet travel period begins |
| Sat, Jan 23, 2027 | 12th month, day 16 | Extra Tet trains begin |
| Sat, Jan 30, 2027 | 12th month, day 23 | Kitchen Gods' Day (ông Công ông Táo) |
| Thu, Feb 4, 2027 | 12th month, day 28 | Public-sector break begins |
| Fri, Feb 5, 2027 | 12th month, day 29 | New Year's Eve (this lunar month has no 30th day) |
| Sat, Feb 6, 2027 | 1st month, day 1 | Lunar New Year's Day; pagodas busy |
| Thu, Feb 11, 2027 | 1st month, day 6 | Public-sector staff back at work |
| Sat, Feb 20, 2027 | 1st month, day 15 | Tet Nguyen Tieu (Tết Nguyên tiêu); Vietjet's Tet travel period ends |
| Thu, Feb 25, 2027 | 1st month, day 20 | Tet train schedule ends |
The coming year is the Year of the Goat. The February 4-10 break (Document 10065/VPCP-KGVX, October 2, 2026) covers civil servants and public employees: five statutory Tet days plus two days in lieu for the weekend. Private employers choose one of three five-day arrangements, and workers get February 5 to 7 off under all of them.
What is open during Tet #
Vietnam's official tourism site warns that many businesses and restaurants close for at least the first few days of Tet. The table shows what happened over Tet 2026; schedules for 2027 have not been announced yet.
| Service | Over Tet 2026 | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Banks and ATMs | Counters shut February 14-22; ATMs, cards and mobile banking kept working | Change money and withdraw cash before the break |
| Markets, stores | In Hanoi, local markets reopened on day 2 and the big store chains on day 3 | Buy basics and any medicine before New Year's Eve |
| Places to eat | Many reopened around day 4; some chains stayed open throughout, some with a surcharge | Ask your hotel which places nearby are open |
| Museums and sights | Hanoi's museums and historic sites stayed open; Hue's (Huế) imperial sites opened on day 1 | Go early, before the tour groups arrive |
| Ride-hailing | Running, with a Tet surcharge; waits can be long at busy times | Book airport and station rides ahead |
If one thing matters on your trip, such as having clothes made in Hoi An (Hội An), confirm that it will be open on your dates, and change money at a bank or a licensed exchange counter before the banks close.
Photo: Anhchangeden
Trains, flights and buses: book early, travel against the flow #
Tet train tickets went on general sale on September 5, 2026: about 300,000 seats on long-distance trains, with a limit of 10 tickets per person in each direction. VnExpress reported fares of roughly VND2.5-4 million between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Extra trains run from Saigon (Sài Gòn) to Nha Trang, Quy Nhon (Quy Nhơn), Da Nang (Đà Nẵng) and Phan Thiet (Phan Thiết). Buy on the Vietnam Railways booking site, at a station or from an official agent.
Tet air traffic runs one way at a time: before the holiday, people fly from the south to central and northern Vietnam, and afterward they fly back. Vietnam Airlines suggests flying against that flow: before Tet, flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Cam Ranh (for Nha Trang) or Phu Quoc (Phú Quốc) may have more departure times and fares to choose from.
That makes north to south the easiest Tet itinerary: start in Hanoi before the holiday, work your way south, and fly back north once it is over. On long-distance buses, travel only with a confirmed seat from a named company; bus types, berths and drop-off points differ more than you might expect.
Rooms, surcharges and the busiest days #
Over Tet 2026, many hotels in Khanh Hoa (Khánh Hòa), the province around Nha Trang, were full from the second to the fifth day (VnExpress International). In Da Lat (Đà Lạt), Tuoi Tre found room rates close to double the usual, and triple in some places.
Book as soon as your dates are set, choose a free-cancellation rate and note the deadline. Ask whether the Tet surcharge is included and whether there is a compulsory New Year's Eve dinner. Before you send a deposit, check whose name is on the receiving account.
Under Vietnam's Law on Prices, a business may not charge more than its listed price, and, as a lawyer told Tuoi Tre in April 2026, a holiday surcharge is acceptable only when it is posted before you use the service. Over Tet 2026, CafeF found some Ho Chi Minh City restaurants adding 15-30% to the bill from the 28th or 29th day of the old year, and Grab added VND5,000-15,000 per ride, depending on the vehicle, from the last day of the old year to day 4, already built into the fare in the app.
Where there is no priced menu, ask before you order. If you are charged more than the posted price, keep the receipt and report it to the provincial tourism department.
Where to spend Tet: quiet cities, crowded resorts #
For a calm Tet, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on days 1 to 3 are worth considering: the roads empty out and many historic sites stay open. Ho Chi Minh City's flower street on Nguyen Hue runs through the holiday; in 2026 it ran from the evening of the 28th day of the old year to the evening of day 6 (VnExpress International), and the 2027 dates are not out yet.
Beaches, mountains and big pilgrimage sites are usually busiest from day 2 to day 5. In Nha Trang over Tet 2026, the Po Nagar towers (Tháp Bà Po Nagar) received more than 10,000 visitors on day 4, and on day 5 traffic backed up along Tran Phu (Trần Phú), Biet Thu (Biệt Thự) and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai) streets (Tuoi Tre). We suggest visiting the towers first thing in the morning, staying near Tran Phu so you can walk to the beach, and leaving the car or scooter parked in the afternoon.
If your dates are flexible, arrive after day 6 (February 11, 2027), when public-sector staff are back at work and most restaurants have reopened. February 20, 2027 is Tet Nguyen Tieu, the 15th day of the first lunar month, which Hoi An's old town celebrates with its own festival, though no official program had been published as of October 23, 2026. It is separate from the town's monthly Old Town Night on the 14th lunar day.
Tet customs and etiquette for visitors #
Tet is a family holiday first. Vietnam's official tourism site advises against dropping in on a Vietnamese home uninvited in the first days of the year: the first guest through the door, a custom called xông đất (first-footing), is chosen to bring the household luck. If you are invited, bring a small gift such as fruit, tea or sweets, and expect candied fruit and bánh chưng, the square sticky rice cake of the north.
Photo: Viethavvh
Lucky money, lì xì, comes in red envelopes and usually goes from older people to younger ones and from managers to staff. Nobody expects a visitor to hand it out, but a small envelope with crisp notes for the children of a host family is a kind gesture. The greeting you will hear everywhere is Chúc mừng năm mới, happy new year.
Photo: Biheo2812
At pagodas, cover your shoulders and knees, keep valuables zipped away, light incense only where the pagoda provides a place for it, and put donations in the box rather than tucking notes onto statues. On New Year's Eve, many families set offering trays outside their doors or on the sidewalk; walk around them. In the first days of the year many people avoid arguments and talk of bad luck, so a little extra patience in the crowds suits the mood.
Fireworks, drink-driving and crowds #
Vietnam has a zero alcohol limit for drivers and riders, and over Tet 2026 traffic police nationwide started breath-testing from 10am on the first day of the year (Tuoi Tre). New Year visits come with plenty of beer and rice wine, so leave the scooter at the hotel and book a ride; the fines for riding a motorbike after drinking rise in three bands.
At flower markets, pagodas and New Year's Eve gatherings, carry your bag in front and keep your phone away when you are not using it, because petty theft tends to rise around Christmas and Tet. With small children, agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, and keep an adult right beside them.
On day 3 of Tet 2026, Nha Trang's beaches were packed even though the waves were fairly big (Kenh14). Swim only in a buoyed zone while lifeguards are on duty, follow the flags, and skip the beer before you swim.
Tet in Vietnam: your questions #
Is it a good idea to visit Vietnam during Tet?
It depends on what you want. Tet brings flower markets, decorations and pagodas full of families, and big cities are unusually quiet on the first days. For a short trip built around shopping, tailoring or particular restaurants, pick other dates, since many places close for several days.
Are there fireworks on Tet Eve?
Major cities usually hold official displays at midnight, but the 2027 sites had not been announced as of October 23, 2026. For Tet 2026, Hanoi published its plan about two weeks before the holiday, so check local announcements closer to the date.