Holidays and festivals in Vietnam

Visit Vietnam during official holidays and festivals on the one hand looks very attractive and attracts a huge number of tourists both from abroad and within the country. But on the other hand, on the eve of holidays and festivals and some time after them, Prices for tourist services and transport increase significantly, and sometimes free hotel rooms are simply impossible to find.

So, the authors of the site can cite as an example the experience of visiting the town of Sapa in northern Vietnam during the "festival in the clouds" in late April. Although this holiday is not an official weekend, it attracts many Vietnamese residents and tourists to the city, which leads to an increase in hotel prices at least five times. Guest houses, in which literally the day before the start of the festival it was possible to stay for $ 10, the next day were rented for $ 50, and it was very difficult to find free places. Approximately the same situation was repeated in Hanoi during the official holiday on May 1 (International Workers' Day).

These examples are not given to scare you and dissuade you from visiting Vietnam during the holidays, but to be prepared for some possible difficulties in this regard. In general, to get to any holiday – great luck and great entertainment. So do not be afraid of the holidays and their difficulties, but simply prepare for them by purchasing tickets in advance, booking hotels and planning your route correctly.

Official and public holidays of Vietnam

* in red official days off are indicated, blue – other memorable dates.

• January 1 - New Year (International)
• January-February (on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar, lasts several days) - Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan) - Vietnamese New Year. The most important holiday in Vietnamese life. By custom, he is celebrated with his family, and wherever the Vietnamese is, he will definitely come home for the celebration of Tet. Traveling independently should take into account that at this time, as well as on the eve, life throughout Vietnam freezes, and there may be problems with moving around cities, booking hotels and excursions, and other inconveniences. Of course, all transport (including international air travel) is crowded and prices jump.

  Tet start dates for the coming years:

  • February 9, 2016-year of the monkey
  • January 28, 2017-Year Of The Rooster
  • February 16, 2018-year of the dog
  • February 5, 2019-year of the boar
  • January 25, 2020-Year Of The Rat
• February 3 - Founding day of the Vietnamese Communist Party (1930)
• March 8 – International Women's Day
• April (tenth day of the third month of the lunar calendar, lasts 7 days)- Day of remembrance of the Hung Kings (Gio To Hung Vuong / Hung Kings’ Temple Festival). The main festive events are held in the complex of temples of the Hung Kings in the northern province of Futho (Phongtiau County, Vietchi). Hung Kings in Vietnam are considered the founders of the country of Vanlang-the original state structure of the ancient Viet (Vietnamese).

  Dates of celebration for the coming years:

  • 16 April 2016
  • April 6, 2017
  • April 25, 2018
  • April 14, 2019
  • April 2, 2020
• April 30 - Victory Day commemorating the end of the Vietnam War (1975)
• May 1 - International Workers ' Day
• May 7 – Victory at Dien Bien Phu (1954)
• May 19 - Birthday of the first president of Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City (1890)
• June 1 - International Children's day
• June 28 - Vietnamese family day
• July 27 - Vietnam Independence Memorial Day (1964-1965)
• August 19 – National Democratic Revolution Day in Vietnam (1945)
• September 2 - Vietnam Independence Day
• October 10 – day of liberation of the capital - Hanoi (1954)
• October 20 – Vietnamese woman's day
• November 20 – teacher's Day
• December 22 – Vietnam People's Army formation day
• December 25 – Catholic Christmas

Festivals and celebrations of Vietnam

Festivals and holidays in Vietnam are held in accordance with the lunar calendar, so you should specify in advance the date of the beginning of the new lunar year.

Almost every province celebrates its festivals and holidays. Local residents are very respectful of their traditions and try to support them in every possible way. Quite often, festivals and events are accompanied by a lack of places in hotels or unjustified overestimation of prices for the period of events several times, so you should worry in advance about your accommodation and book a hotel.

There are many festivals and other similar events in Vietnam. We have highlighted, perhaps, the most interesting and massive, as well as those that can be met by you during your trip to Vietnam.

• from January to April (6th day of the first month to 15th day of the third month) - Festival Fragrant Pagoda at Huong temple (Hatay province)
• February (4th day of the first month – - Hanoi Wrestling Festival
• February (from the 5th to the 8th day of the first month) - Spring Song Festival in Laocai province
• February-March (11th to 15th day of the first month) - Tonga Pagoda Spring Festival in Laocai province
• February (13th day of the first month – - Lim Folk Singing Festival in Bac Ninh Province (Lim)
• February (15th day of the first month) - Tet Nguentieu, or the celebration of the first full moon in the new lunar year, is ubiquitous.
• February (15th day of the first month) - Paper Lantern Festival, everywhere
• March (21 days of the first month) - Boat Racing Festival in Haiphong
• March-April (from the 18th to the 20th day of the second month) – Festival at the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Pagoda in Da Nang
• April (3rd day of the third month) - the day of remembrance of ancestors, everywhere
• April (10th day of the third month – - Hanoi Water Festival (Tu Liem District)
• End of April (lasts two days) – Fireworks Festival Da Nang, downtown above the Han River
• April-May (from the 20th to the 23rd day of the third month) – religious festival Nhatrang, in Po Nagar Tower
• April-May (23rd day of the third month – - BA Thien Hau Pagoda Festival in Ho Chi Minh City
• April-May (lasts 5 days) – Traditional Crafts Festival Hue
• April-May (lasts 7 days) - Tourism Festival with Carnival Halong
• May (15th day of the fourth month) - the birthday of the Buddha, everywhere
• Mid-May to late August-Ho Chi Minh City Fruit Festival, Suoi Tien Park
• The first half of June (once every two years) – a festival in Hue (Thuat Thien province), dedicated to the life of the Imperial Nguyen dynasty
• June (5th day of the fifth month) - Mid-Year Festival, everywhere
• July-August (24th day of the sixth month – - Ong Pagoda Festival in Ho Chi Minh City
• August (15th day of the seventh month) - the festival of spirits, everywhere
• September (3rd day of the eighth month – - Haiphong firecracker Festival
• September (9th day of the eighth month – - bullfights in Haiphong (Dawson Peninsula)
• September (15th day of the eighth month) - the Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu or Full Moon Festival), everywhere
• September-October (from the 14th to the 17th day of the eighth month) – the festival in honor of the Holy whale - the main holiday of Vietnamese fishermen (Maritime provinces)
• From the end of November to the beginning of January (once every two years, lasts 5 days) – Flower Festival in Dalat
• From the end of December to the beginning of January-Kite Festival in Vung Tau (Baria Vung Tau Province)