Tet Nguyen Dan (Vietnam New Year)

What: Vietnam’s Tet, which cel­e­brates the Lunar New year Cel­e­bra­tions, is Vietnam’s loud­est and most sig­nif­i­cant fes­ti­val. With Viet­namese peo­ple trav­el­ling from all around the coun­try to return to their homes and seek­ing to rid them­selves of bad for­tune and bring in good tid­ings for the upcom­ing year.

To ensure these good wish­es the days lead­ing up to Tet will be filled with peo­ple try­ing to make as much noise as pos­si­ble in the streets of Viet­nam, with fire­crack­ers, fire­works, bells and gongs  all used to ward off evil spir­its and the day of Tet itself see­ing parades, cos­tumes dances and cul­tur­al feasts tak­ing place and vis­i­tors are encour­aged to wear red or/and yel­low to increase chances of good for­tune.

When: Tet takes place in accor­dance with the Lunar Cal­en­dar, which changes every year, but Tet will nor­mal­ly take place in late Jan­u­ary or Ear­ly Feb­ru­ary.

Where: The cel­e­bra­tions take place all over Viet­nam, but for the most noise, fire­works and cul­tur­al expe­ri­ence, head to Saigon, Hue or Hanoi.

Dura­tion: Tet typ­i­cal­ly lasts for 3 days, with most shops and busi­ness­es clos­ing down the day before and after the cel­e­bra­tions.

Tick­ets: There is no cost for Tet, the fire­works shows are free and enter­tain­ment and shows are pro­vid­ed by locals.

Need to Know: It gets very busy in the weeks lead­ing up to Tet so book well in advance and accept that crowds will fol­low you. Also be advised that a num­ber of shops and com­pa­nies will be close in the days lead­ing up to and after Tet.