This guide covers the full year, with verified 2026 and 2027 dates for the movable festivals, a clear line between public holidays and cultural events, and an honest account of what actually closes.
How the Vietnamese calendar actually works
The lunar calendar in plain terms
The Vietnamese am lich is a lunisolar calendar. Months begin on the new moon, and the year is kept in step with the seasons by an intercalary month roughly every three years. A lunar month runs 29 or 30 days, so a lunar date drifts about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year until a leap month resets it.
Why some dates move and some never do
Fixed Gregorian holidays never move: 1 January, 30 April, 1 May, 2 September and 24 November. Everything lunar shifts every year, including Tet, Hung Kings, Vesak, Vu Lan, Mid-Autumn and every Hoi An lantern night.
The time zone caveat
Lunar dates are calculated for UTC+7. A festival day can start on the evening before, and the 14th-day lantern nights are deliberately the eve of the full moon, not the full moon itself. Remote areas can vary by up to 24 hours.
Public holiday vs festival
This is the distinction most guides blur. Only seven dates are paid public holidays. Buddhist festivals, lantern nights and most regional festivals close nothing at all.
If a bank, embassy or visa office matters to your trip, check the public holiday list, not the festival list. They are not the same thing.
The year at a glance: 2026 and 2027 dates
| Festival | Lunar date | 2026 | 2027 | Public holiday | Crowd level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tet Nguyen Dan | 1/1 | 17 Feb | 6 Feb | Yes, multi-day | Extreme |
| Kitchen God departure | 23/12 | 10 Feb | 30 Jan | No | Moderate |
| Lim Festival | 12-13/1 | 28 Feb-1 Mar | 17-18 Feb | No | Moderate |
| Perfume Pagoda | 1/1 to 3/3 | Feb to Apr | Feb to Apr | No | High |
| Hung Kings | 10/3 | 26 Apr | 15 Apr | Yes | High |
| Chol Chnam Thmay | Fixed | 14-16 Apr | 14-16 Apr | No | Moderate |
| Vesak | 8/4 and 15/4 | 24 May and 31 May | 13 May and 20 May | No | Moderate |
| Tet Doan Ngo | 5/5 | 19 Jun | 8 Jun | No | Low |
| Vu Lan | 15/7 | 27 Aug | 16 Aug | No | Moderate |
| Mid-Autumn | 15/8 | 25 Sep | 15 Sep | No | High |
| National Day | Fixed | 2 Sep | 2 Sep | Yes | Extreme |
| Ooc Om Boc | 14-15/10 | 23-24 Nov | 12-13 Nov | No | Low |
| Cham Kate | 7th month | Oct | Oct | No | Low |
Three domestic-tourism peaks drive prices: Tet, the 30 April to 3 May block and the National Day block. Flights, trains and resorts run 1.5 to 3 times normal rates.
January: New Year, and the run-up to Tet
Tet Duong lich (1 January)
A one-day public holiday, far smaller than Lunar New Year. Cities hold fireworks and concerts, and almost nothing closes.
The Kitchen God departure
On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, Ong Cong Ong Tao returns to heaven. This is the true start of Tet preparation. Carp are released into lakes and rivers, and flower markets begin to fill.
The last Hoi An lantern night of the lunar year
This falls on the 14th day of the 12th lunar month. It is quieter than the post-Tet edition, which makes it a good first lantern night. See the Hoi An lantern festival guide for the full schedule.
February: Tet, the festival that shuts the country
What Tet is and why it matters
Tet Nguyen Dan is family reunification, ancestor veneration, debt settlement and house cleaning rolled into one. Peach blossom dominates the north, apricot blossom the south.
The 2026 and 2027 dates
Tet Day 1 falls on Tuesday 17 February 2026, the Year of the Horse, with a nine-day break running 14 to 22 February. Tet 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, the Year of the Goat, with the official block still a government draft at the time of writing. Family businesses close earlier and reopen later than any official block.
What is open and what is closed
| Day | Open | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar 30 and 1/1 | Hotels, hospitals, convenience stores | Banks, embassies, most restaurants |
| Lunar 2 to 4 | Chain restaurants, major paid attractions | Visa offices, museums, markets |
| Lunar 5 onward | Most services resume | Some independent shops stay shut |
A visa extension during the core Tet days is effectively impossible. Plan around it. The Tet survival guide covers the practical detail.
Should you visit during Tet?
Come for the week before to see the flower markets and calligraphy stalls, stay for the first day or two, and do not plan intercity travel on lunar 1/1. Cities empty and villages fill.
Tet Nguyen Tieu
The first full moon, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is the second-biggest lantern night of the year in Hoi An and the largest single lantern night after Mid-Autumn.
March and April: the spring festival season
The Perfume Pagoda pilgrimage
This runs from the first lunar month into the third. Expect a boat journey up the Yen River followed by hundreds of stone steps to Huong Tich Cave. It is a genuine pilgrimage site, not a show, so dress and behaviour expectations apply. The Perfume Pagoda festival guide covers logistics.
The Lim Festival
Held on the 12th and 13th of the first lunar month, this features Quan ho folk singing, a UNESCO-listed tradition performed from dragon boats at Lim Village in Bac Ninh, about an hour from Hanoi.
The Hung Kings' Commemoration
A public holiday since 2007, held on the 10th day of the third lunar month. The main ceremony takes place at the Hung Temple complex in Phu Tho province. In 2026 it falls on 26 April, in 2027 on 15 April. When it lands on a weekend, a substitute day applies.
Thanh Minh and Tet Han Thuc
Grave-cleaning season and the cold food festival, marked with banh troi and banh chay. Small, domestic and rarely explained to foreign visitors.
Chol Chnam Thmay
The Khmer New Year runs 14 to 16 April in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh. It is a genuinely different cultural experience from anything in the north.
May: Buddha's birthday and the start of summer
Phat Dan (Vesak)
Two dates compete. The older East Asian tradition uses the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, while the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha holds the official ceremony on the full moon, the 15th. In 2026 that means 24 May and 31 May. In 2027, 13 May and 20 May. The full moon date governs the official event, and the Vesak week runs from lunar 8/4 to 15/4.
Tet Doan Ngo
The insect-killing festival on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month is a family meal day, not a visitor event. Worth knowing so you understand why a restaurant might be quiet.
The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival
Saturday nights from roughly late May to mid-July. Expect heavy crowds on both banks of the Han River and hotel rates 1.5 to 2 times normal on festival weekends. The Dragon Bridge fire show guide explains the viewing spots.
June to August: the quiet months, and Vu Lan
The Hoi An lantern nights of summer
May, June and July are the gentler editions, with smaller crowds than Mid-Autumn or the post-Tet full moon.
The Hue Festival
The biennial mega-year format alternates with a smaller annual programme. The 2026 marquee week includes the Perfume River boat festival and ao dai shows. See the Hue Festival guide for the schedule.
Vu Lan and Ghost Month
Falling on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, Vu Lan is the festival of filial piety. Worshippers wear a red rose if their mother is living and a white one if she has passed. Grave visits, offerings and the reading of ancestors' names fill pagoda calendars. During the seventh lunar month, many Vietnamese will not pick up money left in the street.
The Sapa winter festival and highland markets
The Saturday Sapa love market and the Sunday Bac Ha market run year-round but peak in the cooler months. The Bac Ha market guide covers the logistics.
September: Mid-Autumn and National Day
Tet Trung Thu
Mid-Autumn falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, on 25 September 2026 and 15 September 2027. It is primarily a children's festival, with star lanterns, lion dances and mooncakes filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk. The best places to see it are Hoi An, Hang Ma Street in Hanoi and Nguyen Hue in Ho Chi Minh City.
National Day (2 September)
A fixed date and one of the biggest domestic travel weekends. Red flags, yellow stars, parades and fireworks dominate. This is domestic-traveller-heavy rather than international, and prices and crowds reflect that.
The Mid-Autumn lantern night
Usually the single busiest lantern night of the year in Hoi An. Arrive by late afternoon for restaurant seating, and see the Hoi An daily budget guide for realistic costs.
October to December: the Khmer south, the flower festival and Christmas
Ooc Om Boc
The Khmer moon-thanking festival falls on the 14th and 15th days of the tenth lunar month, in Soc Trang, with the Ngo boat race as the highlight. In 2026 that means 23 to 24 November, in 2027 12 to 13 November. It is genuinely under-covered.
The Cham Kate Festival
Held at the Po Nagar and Po Klong Garai towers in Ninh Thuan and Phan Rang, usually in October. Rarely mentioned by competitors.
The Da Lat Flower Festival
Biennial, in December of odd-numbered years. The next edition falls in December 2027. Hotel rates roughly double for the festival window.
Christmas and New Year
Neither is a public holiday, but both are widely and commercially celebrated in cities and tourist towns. Expect a slight Western-tourist peak from mid-December to early January.
The festivals worth planning a trip around, and the ones to avoid
Worth building a trip around
Tet for the cultural experience if you prepare properly. Mid-Autumn for families with children. The Hoi An lantern nights for anyone who wants a festival without committing to a major holiday. The Khmer festivals in the south for travellers who have already done the north.
Best avoided unless prepared
The three domestic-tourism peaks, and the core Tet days if you want restaurants, museums and easy transport.
The weather interaction
Festivals do not exist outside the climate. September to November is the central Vietnam typhoon and flood window, and Hoi An flooding depth varies dramatically year to year. A festival trip to the centre in October needs free-cancellation bookings and weather-aware insurance. The typhoon season guide explains what happens if a storm hits.
How to verify a festival date yourself
Convert lunar to Gregorian using the Vietnamese lunar calendar at UTC+7, and cross-check Buddhist festivals against the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and public holidays against the government portal. Check provincial tourism office announcements one to two weeks before smaller regional festivals, which can move by a week with little notice. Monitor the National Hydro-Meteorological Service for storm tracks from September to November. Treat any date on a hotel or tour operator page as marketing until it is confirmed against a primary source.
Month-by-month calendar: the full reference table
| Month | Festival | Lunar date | 2026 | 2027 | Public holiday | Location | Traveller value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Tet Duong lich | Fixed | 1 Jan | 1 Jan | Yes | Nationwide | Low |
| Jan-Feb | Kitchen God | 23/12 | 10 Feb | 30 Jan | No | Nationwide | Medium |
| Feb | Tet Nguyen Dan | 1/1 | 17 Feb | 6 Feb | Yes | Nationwide | High |
| Feb-Mar | Lim Festival | 12-13/1 | 28 Feb | 17 Feb | No | Bac Ninh | Medium |
| Feb-Apr | Perfume Pagoda | 1/1 to 3/3 | Feb-Apr | Feb-Apr | No | Hanoi region | High |
| Apr | Hung Kings | 10/3 | 26 Apr | 15 Apr | Yes | Phu Tho | High |
| Apr | Chol Chnam Thmay | Fixed | 14-16 Apr | 14-16 Apr | No | Mekong Delta | Medium |
| May | Vesak | 15/4 | 31 May | 20 May | No | Nationwide | Medium |
| Jun | Tet Doan Ngo | 5/5 | 19 Jun | 8 Jun | No | Nationwide | Low |
| Aug | Vu Lan | 15/7 | 27 Aug | 16 Aug | No | Nationwide | Medium |
| Sep | Mid-Autumn | 15/8 | 25 Sep | 15 Sep | No | Nationwide | High |
| Sep | National Day | Fixed | 2 Sep | 2 Sep | Yes | Nationwide | High |
| Nov | Ooc Om Boc | 14-15/10 | 23-24 Nov | 12-13 Nov | No | Soc Trang | Medium |
| Oct | Cham Kate | 7th month | Oct | Oct | No | Ninh Thuan | Low |
| Dec | Da Lat Flower Festival | Biennial | No | Dec | No | Da Lat | Medium |
FAQ
Q: When is the worst time to go to Vietnam? There is no universally bad month, but two windows cause the most disruption. The Tet core days in late January or February close banks, embassies, visa offices and most independent restaurants. The September to November window brings typhoon and flood risk to central Vietnam, with Hoi An flooding depth varying dramatically year to year.
Q: What is the Vietnamese calendar year? Vietnam uses the Gregorian calendar for daily life and a lunisolar calendar for festivals. The lunar year begins at Tet, on the first day of the first lunar month, and each year is named after one of twelve zodiac animals. 2026 is the Year of the Horse, 2027 the Year of the Goat.
Q: What is the most important festival in Vietnam? Tet Nguyen Dan is the largest and most important. It is the only festival that shuts the country down, the only one that drives mass internal migration, and the only one where a traveller's plans can be genuinely disrupted by closures.
Q: What are the major celebrations in Vietnam in 2026? Tet falls on 17 February with a nine-day break, the longest on record. Hung Kings' Commemoration falls on 26 April, Reunification and Labour Day run 30 April to 3 May, National Day runs 29 August to 2 September, and Vietnam Culture Day appears for the first time on 24 November. Mid-Autumn falls on 25 September.
Q: Do I need to book around Vietnamese festivals? For the three domestic-tourism peaks, yes, four to six weeks ahead for flights, trains and accommodation. For Tet specifically, six or more weeks. For lantern nights and Buddhist festivals, no special booking is needed, though Hoi An hotels fill first on Mid-Autumn and the post-Tet full moon.
Q: Which Vietnamese festivals are best for families with children? Mid-Autumn is the clearest answer. It is built around children, with lantern processions, lion dances and mooncakes. Hoi An and Hanoi's Old Quarter are the most rewarding places to experience it.
Q: Are festival dates in Vietnam reliable? Major festivals rarely move, but smaller regional festivals can shift by a week with little notice, and weather-dependent events such as the Da Lat Flower Festival and the sua flower season can be delayed. Check provincial tourism office announcements one to two weeks before travel.
Q: Can I visit Vietnam during Tet? Yes, with preparation. Hotels, chain restaurants, convenience stores, hospitals and major paid attractions stay open. Independent restaurants, banks, embassies and visa offices close. The week before Tet is the most rewarding time to arrive, and intercity travel on the first lunar day should be avoided.