Tết and the Vietnamese Festival Calendar
The lunar new year is the big one. But there are eight or nine other festivals worth knowing about.
Published 2026-05-16· 5 min read· Vietnam Knowledge
Vietnam follows the lunar calendar for its biggest cultural holidays, while the Gregorian calendar runs ordinary government and commercial life. The result: most holidays move by 2–4 weeks against the solar year.
Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year)
Late January or February — the single biggest holiday by a wide margin. Officially a week of public holidays; in practice many businesses close for 10–14 days.
Things to know:
- The whole country basically pauses. Restaurants, shops, services, even pharmacies in smaller towns close.
- Tens of millions of urban workers travel back to their hometowns. Trains and buses are booked weeks ahead.
- Plane tickets to/from Vietnam in the week before Tết are at peak prices.
- If you're a visitor, the days during Tết itself can be quiet and beautiful — but logistics are harder.
- The lead-up is festive: flower markets, kumquat trees, bánh chưng (square sticky-rice cakes) being made in courtyards.
Other major holidays
| Holiday | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tết Nguyên Tiêu | 15th day of 1st lunar month | First full moon of the year — temple visits, offerings. |
| Hùng Kings' Festival | 10th day of 3rd lunar month | National holiday honouring the legendary founders. Centre is Phú Thọ. |
| Reunification Day | 30 April | Anniversary of the 1975 fall of Saigon. National holiday. |
| International Labour Day | 1 May | Continues from 30 April — most workers get the long weekend. |
| Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) | 15th day of 4th lunar month | Mostly observed at pagodas. |
| Đoan Ngọ | 5th day of 5th lunar month | "Killing the inner pests" — eating particular fruit and rice wine. |
| Vu Lan (Hungry Ghost Festival) | 15th day of 7th lunar month | Honour the dead; remember mothers; vegetarian food at pagodas. |
| Tết Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn) | 15th day of 8th lunar month | The children's festival — lanterns, mooncakes, dragon dances. |
| National Day | 2 September | Anniversary of Hồ Chí Minh's 1945 independence declaration. |
A few practical notes
- Government and bank holidays follow the official calendar; private businesses often add days around them.
- The week around Reunification Day + Labour Day (late April to early May) is the second-biggest domestic travel week.
- Christmas (25 Dec) is increasingly visible in big cities — decorations, café displays, Catholic communities celebrate properly — but it's not a public holiday.
- Lunar dates shift — check the year before booking around any of these.