In Vietnam, the most important event is the Lunar New Year, also known as Tet Nguyen Dan ceremony. On this occasion, families reunite celebrate and pay tribute to their ancestors while hoping for good fortune, wealth, and health in the next year.
Although the public holiday is only observed for a week, the celebrations of Tet linger for a significantly longer period. Here is what you may anticipate if you plan a trip around the Lunar New Year in Vietnamese.
Overview of Vietnamese Holiday Tet
Tết Nguyên Đán, or simply Tet, is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, celebrated as the most significant holiday in Vietnamese culture. It is often compared to Western New Year, Tết marks the arrival of spring according to the lunar calendar and is a time for family gatherings, honoring ancestors, and expressing hopes for a prosperous year ahead.
The apricot tree blooms in front of old house on a spring morning
For the Vietnamese, Tet is more than just a New Year celebration, it’s a deeply rooted tradition representing a fresh start. Families clean their homes and clear their minds to begin anew, symbolizing the removal of past misfortunes.
Additionally, Tet holiday reflects the Vietnamese value of filial piety, as it’s a time to pay respect to ancestors and gather with loved ones.
The date of Tet varies each year as it follows the lunar calendar. Typically, it falls in late January or early February, marking the start of a new lunar year. In 2025, the Tet holiday will begin on January 29, with celebrations lasting for several days.
Read more: Top 10 Traditional Festivals In Vietnam That You Must Experience 2025
Preparations for Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival
Cleaning and decorating the house
The Vietnamese clean their homes thoroughly before Tet Holiday in Vietnam to sweep away any lingering bad luck. Many people also repaint and redecorate their houses to create a fresh, bright environment for welcoming the new year.
Shopping for Tet gifts and decorations
Popular Tet decorations include red calligraphy banners, kumquat trees, peach blossoms in the north, and apricot flowers in the south. These items symbolize prosperity, health, and happiness.
Many Vietnamese activities include going clothes shopping, getting haircuts, preparing traditional meals, purchasing flowers, and even washing motorcycles. Signs of 'Chúc Mừng Năm Mới' will be displayed in every home and office, and kumquat trees or peach flowers will be placed in a special spot.
The trees are being carried on motorcycles, causing streets to pop with color. The nation is in a festive mood as people prepare for the long holiday.
Locals buy flowers for decoration purpose the house
Kitchen God Day (Ong Cong - Ong Tao)
Vietnamese people have a practice of worshiping Ong Cong - Ong Tao on December 23 of each year. They run the home and are in charge of the whole family. People say that these gods will go back to heaven today to give the Emperor their yearly report on family members.
On Kitchen God Day, every home cleans the altar, puts out new gifts like fruits, sweets, fresh flowers, paper caps and clothes, burns incense, and lets a carp go. Because the three gods will use these gifts on their way back to heaven.
Ritual offerings to the ancestors
On Lunar December 30, named New Year's Eve, traditional gifts must be made to the dead and God. Every family makes a dish of traditional foods like chicken, sticky rice, Chung cake, Vietnamese sausage, spring rolls, and more. This is a way to ask your ancestors to join your family for Tet and pray for a peaceful and lucky new year.
Traditional Tet Festival cuisine of Vietnam
"Xông đất"
In Vietnam, "xông đất" is a custom that must be followed by the first person who comes into a home in the new year. In Vietnamese tradition, the "xông đất" person, or the first person to enter the house, will decide the host family's luck.
This means that the "xông đất" person should be successful, have good character, and be healthy. Choosing the right person can bring you luck and happiness for the whole next year.
"Chúc Tết"
When Tet comes around, people visit their grandparents and wish them well. This will bring everyone luck in the coming year. As a general rule, the younger person will "chúc Tết" the older person first. On the first day of meeting, the whole family will also eat together.
Vietnamese people generally celebrate Tet over three days. On the first day, they visit their father's side, on the second, their mother's side, and on the third, they visit their teachers.
Lucky money - Lì Xì
People often give young children and the elderly lucky money, or "Lì xì", hoping that the children will grow up quickly, be good, and do well in school, and that the old will live a long, healthy life. People also give lucky money to each other as a wish for a peaceful and happy new year.
Lucky money
Visit pagoda
At the start of a new year, people also let go of their greed, envy and set their sights on good things. People go to pagodas and shrines to pray for health, happiness, and peace in the new year and to make their souls pure.
Of course, this could also be a family trip over the long holiday, a chance to spend time together and bond.
Young Vietnamese couple in traditional costumes praying
Traditional foods during Lunar New Year in Vietnamese
During Tet, Vietnamese families prepare many special traditional Tet foods that bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. Two of the most important dishes are bánh chưng and bánh tét.
Bánh chưng (Chung cake) is a square-shaped sticky rice cake made with mung beans, pork, and wrapped in green leaves. This square shape represents the Earth.
Bánh tét, (Tet cake) is popular in southern Vietnam, is a cylindrical rice cake that symbolizes the sky. Both cakes are meaningful and are often used as offerings to honor ancestors.
Wrapping Tet Cake
Another key part of Tet Holiday traditions is sharing sweets, dried fruits, and watermelon seeds with guests and family. The sweets usually include candied fruits, ginger, and coconut.
They represent sweetness and good fortune for the year. Watermelon seeds are also popular because they symbolize growth and prosperity. These treats are typically displayed in special boxes.
Lastly, savory dishes like braised pork with eggs, pickled vegetables, and bitter melon soup are also enjoyed during Tet. The braised pork is rich and hearty, symbolizing abundance. Pickled vegetables add balance to the meal, symbolizing refreshment and new beginnings.
Bitter melon soup is served with the hope that it will "take away" the bitterness of the past year, making room for happiness in the new year.
These traditional Vietnamese dishes for Tet not only taste delicious but also carry the hopes and wishes of Vietnamese families for a peaceful, joyful, and prosperous year ahead.
Tips for travellers
For the Tết holiday, people will travel back to their hometowns, generating strong demand for bus, rail and plane tickets as well as hotel rooms. If you have to travel during this period, attempt to arrange lodging and transportation long ahead.
If you're looking for transportation options, consider Vietnam Budget Car Rental as a convenient choice for getting around. Our car rental service offers a range of vehicles suited to individual and family travel, helping you enjoy a flexible journey during Tết while avoiding the crowded public transport.
With our car rental, you can visit your destinations at your own pace and experience the beauty of Tết in various regions without the rush of traditional holiday transport.
Our Ford Transit 2024
Read more: Travel To Vietnam During Tet Holiday
In addition, businesses and restaurants usually close at least the first few days of Tết because many employees return home to their families. Expect cities to be quiet during this period as well as restricted food and shopping choices.
The first few days of Tet holiday in Vietnam provide a unique opportunity to view Vietnam's large cities devoid of traffic and pollution. You can enjoy the peace and explore on foot, scooter, or bicycle.
In particular, a great honor could be yours being invited into the house of a family for Tết. It's crucial not to drop by any Vietnamese house without an invitation during Tết since the first guests of the year are especially selected to bless every household.
Particularly welcomed around and during Tết are kind wishes. To everyone you come across on the early days of the new year, smile and say "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year).
