Tet week travel warning — what closes, what costs more

What Tet is

Tet Nguyen Dan is the Vietnamese lunar new year. It is the single most important event in the Vietnamese calendar — bigger than Christmas, New Year's Eve, and summer holidays combined. Vietnamese people travel home to be with family, ancestral altars are lit, firecrackers (legal only in certain cities) go off at midnight, and the streets of major cities empty out almost completely for several days.

For a foreign traveller, this means something very specific: the country does not operate normally for roughly 7 to 10 days. Understanding exactly what that means is the difference between a memorable trip and a frustrating one. See our full background on festivals and Tet for the cultural context.

When Tet falls

Tet follows the lunar calendar, so the date shifts each year. It typically falls somewhere between late January and mid-February. The official public holiday is usually 5 to 7 days, but in practice the shutdown begins 2 to 3 days before the new year eve and extends several days after. Plan on 7 to 10 days of disruption as a safe estimate.

Check the exact dates for your year before booking. Vietnamese government sources publish the public holiday schedule annually, usually by October the previous year.

What closes — businesses, transport, banks

This is the section most travel guides gloss over. The honest answer is: a lot.

Local restaurants and street food stalls — the majority close. Family-run pho shops, banh mi carts, local com binh dan canteens — most owners go home for Tet. In residential neighbourhoods and smaller towns, you may find almost nothing open for the first 3 days of the new year.

Banks and government offices — closed for the full public holiday period. ATMs generally still work, but avoid needing documents, visa extensions, or official stamps during this window.

Shops and markets — most local markets close or operate at reduced hours. Supermarkets in bigger cities tend to stay open, but hours vary. Do not assume anything is open without checking on the day.

Local transport — xe om (motorbike taxis) and many local bus routes thin out sharply. Grab and similar apps still operate in major cities but driver availability drops and surge pricing kicks in.

Mechanics, pharmacies, clinics — reduced availability. Stock up on any medication before Tet begins. If you need a pharmacy, tourist districts usually have at least one open.

What stays open — tourist zones, hotels

Hotels in tourist areas stay open. This is their busy season and they are staffed accordingly.

Restaurants and cafes in high-tourist areas — Hoi An Old Town, Hanoi Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh City's District 1, Da Nang beach strip — largely remain open because their customer base is not going anywhere for Tet. Some may close for the new year eve itself and New Year Day, but most reopen quickly.

Convenience stores (Circle K, Family Mart, Ministop) stay open in cities. Museums and major attractions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City typically remain open, though hours may be reduced.

Domestic transport reality

This is where Tet causes the most practical pain for travellers.

Trains and buses are fully booked 4 to 6 weeks before Tet in both directions — Vietnamese people heading home before the holiday and heading back to work after. If you need to travel between cities during Tet week without a pre-booked ticket, your options are expensive, limited, or both.

Flights are similarly sold out well in advance and prices spike significantly. A domestic route that costs 800,000 VND in October can exceed 3,000,000 VND or more during Tet week.

If your trip overlaps Tet and you need to move between cities, book transport at least 6 weeks ahead. There is no workaround once the booking window closes.

See best Vietnam destinations by month for advice on which destinations are more or less affected by the Tet transport crunch.

Hotel pricing reality

Hotels in tourist areas raise rates during Tet, but the increase is less extreme than domestic transport. Expect 20 to 50 percent above normal rates in popular destinations. Some hotels require minimum stays of 3 to 5 nights over the new year period.

Book early. Availability in Hoi An, Ha Long Bay resorts, and Phu Quoc drops fast. In 2026 terms, a mid-range hotel room that costs USD 40 in November may cost USD 55 to 70 during Tet.

What is magical about being there

Tet is genuinely beautiful if you are in the right place with the right expectations. Cities that empty out — particularly Hanoi — take on a strange, quiet atmosphere that you will not see at any other time of year. Streets that are normally gridlocked are almost deserted. Temples fill with families in traditional ao dai dress. Flowers — particularly kumquat trees and peach blossoms in the north, yellow apricot blossoms in the south — are sold on every corner in the days leading up to the holiday.

The food available during Tet is also different. Banh chung (sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaf), mut (candied fruits), and other traditional dishes appear in homes and markets. Read more about what to eat in our guide to festive foods and Tet.

The new year eve countdown in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi draws large crowds and official fireworks displays. These are worth seeing.

Should you avoid or embrace

It depends on what you want from your trip.

Avoid Tet if: you need flexibility in transport, you are on a tight budget, you want access to local neighbourhood food, or your itinerary involves moving between 3 or more cities.

Embrace Tet if: you have pre-booked everything, you are staying in one or two places, you want to see Vietnam in a genuinely different mode, and you are comfortable with some inconvenience in exchange for a cultural experience most tourists miss.

There is no objectively correct answer. Most travellers who go in with accurate expectations report that it was worth it. Most who go in expecting normal service are disappointed.

Planning around Tet

• Book all transport at least 6 weeks in advance, ideally 8.
• Book hotels with clear cancellation policies in case your plans change.
• Carry enough cash for 3 to 4 days — ATMs can run dry in smaller towns.
• Stock any prescription medication before the holiday begins.
• Plan your meals around tourist-district restaurants for the first 3 days. After that, local places start reopening.
• If you are flexible on dates, arriving 5 days before Tet or departing 3 days before new year eve avoids most of the transport crunch while still letting you see the pre-Tet market atmosphere, which is lively and photogenic.

Related

• Festivals and Tet — the cultural background
• Festive foods and Tet — what to eat
• Best Vietnam destinations by month