Vietnam's Tet Holiday: What Travelers Need to Know Before the Lunar New Year
- Jul 26
- 7 min read
If you're building a Vietnam itinerary and keep seeing warnings about “Tet,” here's the short version: it's Vietnam's biggest holiday by a wide margin, it doesn't fall on the same date twice, and it can either make or complicate your trip depending on how you plan around it. This guide is built to stay useful no matter which year you're reading it in — dates included.
What Is Tet, and Why Does the Date Keep Moving?
Tet Nguyen Dan, or simply Tet, is Vietnam's Lunar New Year and its most important holiday of the year, comparable to Christmas, Thanksgiving, and a national birthday rolled into one. Unlike New Year's Day on the Gregorian calendar, Tet is determined by the lunar calendar, making it a movable holiday that usually falls between late January and mid-February — roughly ten to twelve days earlier each year than the one before, which is why it's easy to plan a trip around the wrong week if you're working from memory rather than checking the actual date.
Zensseys Tip: If you're timing a Vietnam trip around a Southeast Asia multi-country itinerary, check your visa runway against the calendar too — our Southeast Asia visa guide on Zensseys.com covers how entry rules for Vietnam and Thailand compare heading into 2026 and beyond.
Tet Dates for the Next Several Years
Year | Tet Date | Zodiac Year |
2026 | February 17 | Horse |
2027 | February 6 | Goat |
2028 | January 26 | Monkey |
2029 | February 13 | Rooster |
2030 | February 3 | Dog |
For 2026, Vietnam's government approved nine consecutive days off for public employees, running from Saturday, February 14 through Sunday, February 22, combining the five official Tet holidays with the surrounding weekends. That's a useful real-world example of a pattern that repeats every year: the Labor Code guarantees five consecutive statutory days off, one day before Tet and four days after, but the actual travel disruption window usually runs closer to nine or ten days once weekends and business closures are folded in.
The Three Phases of Tet, and What Each One Means for You
Tet isn't a single day — it's a build, a peak, and a wind-down, and each phase feels different as a traveler.
Before Tet (roughly one to two weeks out): This is arguably the best window to be in the country. Streets fill with color as people shop for new clothes, get haircuts, cook special dishes, and transport kumquat trees and peach blossom branches on the backs of motorbikes, and the energy builds without the closures yet in effect. Hanoi's flower markets in particular are worth planning a visit around.
During Tet (the holiday itself, roughly 3-5 days): Expect 80-90% of restaurants, street vendors, shops, and local businesses to close, with museums and attractions also closed or running limited hours. A reasonable rule of thumb is to assume everything is closed during the core days and treat anything that stays open as a bonus, not a guarantee.
After Tet (the following week): Things reopen gradually rather than all at once. Family-run restaurants and smaller shops tend to be the last to return, since owners often stay with family through the full holiday stretch.
What Actually Stays Open
The closures are real, but they're not universal. In major cities and popular tourist destinations, large hotels, resorts, and many international restaurants usually remain open throughout the period, and supermarkets and convenience stores often reopen quickly even if they close briefly on the first day. A handful of major sites are also known for staying open specifically because of their tourism importance: the Citadel in Hue, the Ancient Town in Hoi An, and the Cu Chi Tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City all typically remain open during Tet, though it's always worth confirming online closer to your dates.
Zensseys Tip: If your itinerary depends on a specific museum or indoor attraction, book that visit for the days immediately before or immediately after Tet rather than during it. Many museums, mausoleums, and indoor exhibition spaces close for the first three days of the holiday, and that window is fairly consistent year to year.
Book Earlier Than You Think
This is the part that catches independent travelers off guard most often. The pre-Tet exodus, roughly the week before the holiday, is the most intense travel period in the country, as millions of people return to their hometowns and trains and flights sell out two to three weeks in advance. Prices climb accordingly — a Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City flight that normally runs around $60 can jump past $200 during the Tet travel window, with comparable increases on trains and sleeper buses.
A Bose QuietComfort headphones purchase starts to make a lot more sense once you know you're booking a long-haul flight during peak season pricing and demand — it's the kind of trip where the extra comfort investment pays for itself.
Zensseys Tip: If you're booking flights for Tet travel, aim to have them locked in by late January; trains should be booked roughly two to three weeks out, and buses about two weeks out — after those windows, availability tends to drop close to zero.
A Real Safety Note Worth Taking Seriously
This is the kind of detail a generic festival calendar leaves out, and it matters. Vietnam sees a genuine spike in traffic accidents during Tet, with the National Traffic Safety Committee reporting 30-50% more incidents during the holiday period, driven largely by drunk driving on emptier roads that encourage higher speeds. If you're renting a motorbike during this window, stick to daylight hours and major roads, and be especially cautious on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day specifically, when alcohol consumption tends to be heaviest.
The Customs Worth Understanding Before You Arrive
Tet carries genuine cultural weight, and knowing a handful of customs changes how you experience it as a visitor rather than just an observer of it.
• Xong dat (first-footing): The first person to enter a home after midnight on New Year's Eve is believed to determine that household's fortune for the coming year, so families are careful about who that person is — which is also why it's considered impolite to drop by a Vietnamese home unannounced on the first day of Tet; the second and third days are more socially open for casual visits.
• Li xi (lucky money): Adults give children and young people red envelopes containing money, a tradition meant to pass on good fortune for the year ahead, often accompanied by a short spoken wish.
• Kumquat trees and blossoms: Kumquat trees, heavy with fruit, are displayed in homes and offices as a symbol of prosperity, with more fruit believed to bring more luck in the new year. Peach blossom is the traditional choice in the North, while apricot blossom is more associated with Tet in the South.
• Gift etiquette: When visiting elders, it's customary to bring fruit, sweets, or a small thoughtful gift, presented with both hands, while sharp objects, white flowers, and clocks are avoided as gifts due to their unlucky associations.
A Royce Leather passport holder is worth considering if your trip lands during this gift-giving stretch of the calendar — it's the kind of small, well-made item that fits the spirit of the season if you're bringing anything for a host.
Should You Actually Visit During Tet?
Honestly, it depends on the traveler. Lunar New Year's Day itself gives visitors a chance to experience a quieter, more contemplative side of Vietnam while locals spend time with family, and the cultural payoff — fireworks, decorated cities, a genuine window into how Vietnam actually celebrates — is real. But if you're hoping for typical tourist activity like extensive public transport use, guided tours, and shopping, Tet is one of the least practical times to do it, since fewer things are open or running and costs run higher.
The traveler who tends to do best during Tet is the one who picks a base city — Hanoi, Hoi An, or Ho Chi Minh City are the most forgiving — and stays largely put rather than trying to move between regions during the holiday itself. A Dagne Dover duffel bag suits that kind of trip well: pack light, settle into one place, and let the holiday happen around you rather than racing to see everything.
What a Traveler Actually Experienced
Long-form trip reports on this topic tend to agree on the same core point. One traveler who spent a month in Vietnam independently during Tet, writing on a travel forum thread, found that buses were fine but trains were difficult, and they ended up staying in Hue longer than planned as a result — a fairly typical account of how the holiday reshapes an itinerary rather than ruining it outright. They also noted that the cities felt noticeably quieter than normal, with plenty of temple activity and street ceremony to take in even with restaurants closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Tet fall this year?
It changes annually based on the lunar calendar — check the multi-year table above, or verify against Vietnam's official public holiday schedule closer to your travel dates.
Will hotels be open during Tet?
Generally yes. Large hotels and resorts in major cities and tourist destinations usually remain open throughout the period, though smaller guesthouses in rural areas may close so owners can be with family.
How many days should I plan for disruption?
Budget for roughly a week to ten days of reduced services and higher transport demand, centered on the official holiday dates.
Is it rude to visit Vietnam during Tet as a tourist?
Not at all — Vietnamese hospitality tends to be especially warm during this period, and being a respectful, low-key visitor during the holiday itself is entirely welcome.
Zensseys Recommendation
Tet rewards the traveler who plans around its rhythm rather than against it: book early, pick a base rather than a moving itinerary, and treat the closures as an invitation to slow down rather than an obstacle. For help building a Vietnam itinerary that works with the lunar calendar instead of against it, visit Zensseys for more info.
Travel More, Discover More.
For a good sense of what the holiday actually looks and feels like on the ground, here's a solid explainer on Tet traditions:
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