Vietnamese New Year

While many visitors avoid travelling in Vietnam during Tet, Vietnamese New Year, those who happen to be here at this time needn’t shy away from the celebrations. In fact, Tet is one of the best times to experience Vietnamese culture first hand.

The seven-day new year celebrations are dictated by the lunar calendar but usually fall in late January or early February and coincide with Chinese New Year celebrations across the border. These two celebrations have some similarities yet are unique. 

Preparations for Tet are just as important as actual celebrations. The Vietnamese clean their homes to push out last year’s bad luck and make a fresh start by giving their homes or wardrobes a makeover. New year is also a time to settle your differences and pay off any debts.

The arrival of the new year is greeted with fireworks and gongs that go off long into the night. This is a good time to get merry with the Vietnamese. When the night-time partying and gambling ceases and daylight emerges, locals go about enhancing their luck for the coming year. This can be done through decorations, merit making or gift-giving among other things.

The only drawback to visiting Vietnam during Tet is that this is the most popular time for family reunions and therefore public transport gets fully booked. If you want to experience this festival be prepared to stay in one place or plan well in advance.