Title: Vietnam Public Holidays & Festivals: What to Know Before You Vist

Meta description: A complete guide to Vietnam's public holidays and major festivals — when they fall, what actually closes, and whether to plan around them or embrace them.

Vietnam public holidays  ·  Vietnam festivals calendar  ·  Tet holiday Vietnam  ·  Vietnam national holidays travel  ·  best festivals Vietnam  ·  Vietnam lunar new year travel

Planning Essential    Vietnam

Vietnam Public Holidays
& Festivals

Vietnam's holidays and festivals can transform a trip for the better — or catch an unprepared traveller off guard with closed shops and packed domestic transport. Here's exactly what to expect from each one, and how to decide whether to plan around it or lean into it.

Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year)

Tet is by far Vietnam's most important holiday — the equivalent of Christmas, New Year, and Thanksgiving combined into a single week. It falls on the first day of the lunar calendar, typically landing sometime between late January and mid-February, and shifts every year. Vietnamese people travel home to family, businesses close for anywhere from 3 to 9 days, and the entire country's rhythm changes.

Travellers who plan around Tet — staying in cities, embracing the festival atmosphere, and booking accommodation and private transport well in advance — tend to find it extraordinary. Those expecting entirely normal tourism services during the peak days (especially day 1–3 of the holiday) are often frustrated. A private tour with pre-arranged guides and drivers removes most of this uncertainty.

Not necessarily — it depends on your priorities. If you want a fully typical tourism experience with every restaurant and shop open as normal, Tet's peak days (the first 3 days especially) can be frustrating. If you're drawn to the festive atmosphere, decorations, and a genuine cultural experience, and you plan ahead with pre-booked accommodation and private transport, Tet can be one of the most memorable times to visit.

Most Vietnamese holidays follow the lunar calendar and shift by weeks each year on the Western calendar. Search "[holiday name] Vietnam [year]" closer to your travel dates, or check with your tour operator, who will have the current year's confirmed dates and any adjacent long-weekend arrangements the government has announced.

Hotels and major tourist attractions generally remain open throughout all holidays, including Tet — these are the businesses least likely to close since they serve the tourism industry directly. It's smaller local restaurants, shops, and services (particularly outside major tourist zones) that close, along with many government offices and some tour operators who give staff time off during the biggest holiday period.

For most international travellers, the Hoi An Lantern Festival (monthly) offers the best combination of genuine spectacle, minimal crowding disruption, and easy scheduling since it happens every month rather than once a year. For those with flexible dates and a specific interest in Vietnamese culture, Tet itself — despite the logistics — remains the most immersive and memorable, provided the trip is planned properly around it.