Tết in Việt Nam: what to expect if you visit at Lunar New Year

Tết Nguyên Đán, the Lunar New Year, is the biggest holiday of the year in Việt Nam. It falls in late January or February, on the first day of the first lunar month, and for days almost everything revolves around family, food and luck. Visiting at Tết is wonderful and a little tricky. Here is what to expect.

Before Tết: the busiest weeks of the year

The run-up is a lovely time to be here. Flower markets pop up in every city, motorbikes wobble past carrying whole peach trees, and families clean their homes, buy new clothes and cook. In Sài Gòn, Nguyễn Huệ walking street turns into a street of flowers.

A week before, on the 23rd day of the last lunar month, families send the Kitchen Gods (Ông Công Ông Táo) up to heaven to report on the year. You may see people releasing live carp into lakes and rivers: the fish carry the gods on their way.

What you will see

• Bánh chưng and bánh tét: sticky rice cakes filled with mung bean and pork, wrapped in leaves and boiled for hours. Bánh chưng is square, from the north; bánh tét is a long roll, from the south.
• Hoa đào: pink peach blossom, the flower of a northern Tết.
• Hoa mai: yellow apricot blossom, the flower of a southern one.
• Cây quất: little kumquat trees heavy with orange fruit, in homes, shops and hotel lobbies.
• Lì xì: lucky money in red envelopes, given to children and often to elders, in crisp new notes.
• Xông đất: the first visitor of the year. Whoever steps into a home first after midnight is thought to set its luck for the year, so families choose that person with care.
• Chúc mừng năm mới: Happy New Year. You will hear it everywhere; say it back.

The first three days

New Year’s Eve, giao thừa, is for family, and the big cities usually welcome midnight with fireworks. The first days follow an old saying: the first day for your father’s family, the second for your mother’s, the third for your teachers. People visit relatives, pray at pagodas for a good year, and eat, and eat.

This is when the cities empty out. Huge numbers of people go home to their villages, and Hà Nội and Sài Gòn turn strangely quiet. The roads are calm, and many family-run stalls and shops close for several days, especially the first three. Some open again soon after; some take a week or more.

Practical advice

• Book transport early. Trains, buses and flights are packed in the days before Tết, as everyone heads home, and again after, as they come back.
• Book rooms early too. Many Vietnamese families now travel during the holiday, and popular places fill up.
• Expect closures. Street stalls, small restaurants, markets and some sights may close for a few days. Hotels, bigger restaurants, malls, convenience stores and the busy tourist streets mostly stay open.
• Expect higher prices. Some restaurants and services add a Tết surcharge. It is normal.
• Take out cash before the holiday. ATMs in quiet areas can run low.
• Check the dates for the year you are coming. Tết moves with the lunar calendar.

Good manners at Tết

• If you are invited to a home, bring a small gift: fruit, sweets or tea. A red envelope for the children is a lovely touch. Our guide to table manners covers the meal.
• Wear something bright. Red and gold are lucky.
• Keep it cheerful. People try to avoid arguments and bad news in the first days, since the start of the year is said to set the tone for the rest.
• At pagodas, dress modestly and move quietly; they are busy with people praying for a good year.

Is Tết a good time to visit?

If you want to see Việt Nam at its most festive, yes: come in the week or two before, when the markets are full and the streets are bright. If you mostly want to eat at street stalls, avoid the first three days, or plan around them. Either way, you will see a side of the country most visitors miss. For the rest of the calendar, see our guide to the best time to visit Việt Nam.

If you’re coming around Tết, tell us your dates when you request; a person confirms within 24 hours.