If you only learn about one Vietnamese holiday, make it this one. Tết (Lunar New Year), short for Tết Nguyên Đán, is the heartbeat of the year here, and understanding it will help you feel a little more at home.
What Tết Is, and When It Happens
Tết is Vietnam's Lunar New Year and its biggest, most beloved holiday. Because it follows the lunar calendar, the date shifts each year, usually landing in late January or February. The main celebration centers on a few special days, but the warmth stretches across nearly a week.
For most Vietnamese people, Tết is far more than a date on the calendar. It is a time of renewal, family, and gratitude, a moment to close out the old year gently and welcome the new one with hope. If you are also exploring the language, you might enjoy our broader look at Vietnamese culture for language learners.
Getting Ready: Cleaning, Flowers, and Lucky Money
In the days before Tết, families clean and decorate the home from top to bottom. The idea is simple and lovely: sweep out the old year's troubles so good fortune has room to arrive.
Flowers and trees bring color and meaning to every home:
- hoa đào (pink peach blossom), a favorite in the North
- hoa mai (yellow apricot blossom), beloved in the South
- cây quất (a kumquat tree), whose small orange fruit symbolizes abundance
One custom delights visitors most of all: lì xì (red envelopes of lucky money). Adults give these small red packets to children and to elders as a wish for health and good luck in the year ahead.
Food at the Heart of the Table
No Tết is complete without the foods families make together. Two cakes stand at the center:
- bánh chưng (a square sticky-rice cake filled with pork and mung bean), traditional in the North
- bánh tét (a cylindrical version of the same idea), more common in the South
Both are wrapped in leaves and slow-cooked for hours, often overnight, with the whole family nearby. The shapes carry old meanings about earth and gratitude, and the long cooking time is part of the joy. Tết tables also overflow with tea, sweets, and, of course, coffee, a daily ritual you can read more about in our guide to Vietnamese coffee culture.
Greetings and Gentle Beliefs
This is the season to practice a few warm phrases. Try them with a smile:
- Chúc mừng năm mới (Happy New Year)
- An khang thịnh vượng (peace and prosperity)
- Vạn sự như ý (may everything go as you wish)
A couple of gentle beliefs shape the first day, too. The custom of xông đất holds that the first person to enter a home in the new year sets the tone for its luck, so families often think carefully about who steps in first. Many people also avoid sweeping the floor on the first day, so they don't accidentally sweep away the good fortune that has just arrived.
If You're Traveling During Tết
Tết is a beautiful time to witness, but plan ahead. Many shops, restaurants, and businesses close so families can be together, and transport fills up quickly as people travel home. Expect a quieter, more inward city rather than a tourist-busy one, and treat any invitation with warmth and respect. If you're mapping out a first trip, our first-timer guide to visiting Vietnam can help you time things well.
However you meet Tết, learning even a few words first will open doors and smiles, and we'd love to help you say them with confidence.