Vietnam's Festivals: Tết, Mid-Autumn, Hội An Lantern Night, and the Smaller Ones

Vietnam has more than 8,000 traditional festivals (the government's official count), and many of them are worth traveling for. This is the guide to the major ones, the regional ones, and a few that almost no outsiders attend.

The national festivals

Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) — late January or early February

The most important festival in the Vietnamese calendar. 7-9 days off, the entire country goes home, the cities empty, the family gathers. Tết is what Chinese New Year was 30 years ago — the family reunion, the food, the lucky money, the visiting, the ancestral worship.

The experience: Most international visitors find Tết awkward to travel — many shops are closed, prices are higher, transport is booked, the family focus is on families. But if you have a local family to spend it with, it's the most genuine cultural experience in the country.

Where to be: Hà Nội (for the flower markets, the Old Quarter, the temple visit) or any smaller city with a Vietnamese family. Saigon is a ghost town (everyone goes back to the delta or the central coast).

Food: Bánh chưng (the square sticky rice cake), bánh tét (the southern version), dưa hành (pickled onion), thịt kho tàu (caramelized pork with eggs), củ kiệu (pickled scallion).

Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival) — 15th of the 8th lunar month (mid-September to mid-October)

The children's festival. The night when the moon is the fullest, the kids carry lanterns, the lion dancers perform, the mooncakes (bánh nướng, bánh dẻo) are exchanged. The Old Quarter of Hà Nội is the best place for the night, with the lantern street, the toy vendors, the moonlit lake.

Where to be: Hà Nội, the Old Quarter, around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. The children's lantern procession is the highlight.

Hùng Kings' Commemoration Day — 10th of the 3rd lunar month (late March or early April)

The 2,000-year-old festival honoring the Hùng kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam. On the Đền Hùng temple complex in Phú Thọ province, north of Hà Nội. The whole country has the day off. The temple is the most sacred site in Vietnam.

Where to be: Đền Hùng (1.5 hours from Hà Nội). The temple complex is 3-4 hours, the festival atmosphere is dense, the food and drink stalls are everywhere.

Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương (the Hùng Kings' Festival) — same as above

Lễ Vu Lan (Ghost Festival) — 15th of the 7th lunar month (mid-August)

The Buddhist festival of the wandering souls. The Vietnamese version of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival. The temples are full, the monks chant, the paper offerings (for the wandering souls) are burned. The most atmospheric in the pagodas of Hà Nội (Trấn Quốc, Quán Sứ).

The regional festivals

Hội An Lantern Festival (Full Moon Festival) — 14th of every lunar month

The most-photographed festival in Vietnam. On the 14th of every lunar month, the electric lights in the Old Town are turned off, the streets are filled with colored lanterns, the river is full of paper lanterns being released, the whole Old Town looks like the lantern photo you've seen. The dates are on the lunar calendar, so the festival rotates through the solar year.

When: 14th of every lunar month. Check the lunar calendar.

Where: Hội An Old Town.

Tip: Arrive the day before. Hotels are booked 2-3 months in advance for the most popular months (April, May, June, July).

Huế Festival — every 2 years, even years (April-May)

The big royal court festival, recreating the rituals of the Nguyễn dynasty, with royal music, palanquin processions, costume displays, and art performances. The next one is in 2026, the following in 2028. The festival is part imperial court reenactment, part Vietnamese art showcase.

When: Late April or early May, every 2 years (2026, 2028, 2030).

Where: Huế, the Citadel and the surrounding area.

Tip: Plan ahead, hotels book out 6+ months.

Lê Hội Đền Trần (Trần Temple Festival) — 15th-20th of the 8th lunar month (mid-September to mid-October)

The festival at the Đền Trần temple in Nam Định province, in honor of the Trần dynasty (the kings who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century). The festival is famous for the cờ tướng (Chinese chess) competition — the largest in Vietnam, hundreds of players, serious competition.

Where: Nam Định, 90 km south of Hà Nội.

Lim Festival — 13th of the first lunar month (January or February)

The Tiền Giang (a folk singing style) festival in Tiên Du, Bắc Ninh province, 25 km from Hà Nội. The festival is famous for the quan họ (the call-and-response folk singing of the region). The best-preserved of the folk traditions.

Đền Hùng Festival — 10th of the 3rd lunar month (mentioned above)

Gióng Festival — 9th of the 4th lunar month (April or May)

The Phù Đổng festival, in honor of Saint Gióng, the mythical hero who fought the Chinese invaders as a child. The festival is famous for the rice-cake offerings (the smallest rice cake, the children of Vietnam's past).

The ethnic-minority festivals

Long Tong Festival (Sa Pa) — 1st week of the 2nd lunar month (January or February)

The big festival of the H'Mông people, in Sa Pa and the surrounding villages. The festival celebrates the new harvest, with traditional games, food, music, and dance. The most authentic of the ethnic-minority festivals you can attend without a guide.

Where: Around Sa Pa, multiple villages, several days.

Lễ hội Gầu Tào (H'Mông new year) — first month of the lunar new year

The H'Mông new year, in the highland villages. Less centralized than the Long Tong festival, more village-by-village. The most authentic for the H'Mông culture but harder to find.

Lễ hội Lồng Tồng (Tây Bắc spring festival)

The Tày, Nùng, and Thái spring festival, in the northwestern mountains. Music, dance, food, community. Held in the spring in the regional villages.

Khâu Vai Love Market — 27th of the 3rd lunar month

The famous "love market" of the Mông and Dao people in Hà Giang, on the Chinese border. The legend: a Mông and a Dao woman fell in love but their families prevented the marriage, so they were allowed to meet one day a year. Today the festival is the meeting day for couples separated by the Mông-Dao taboo. The festival is local but famous; not many international visitors make it.

What to know about Vietnamese festival etiquette

• Dress modestly for temple festivals (no shorts, no sleeveless).
• Take off your shoes before entering a temple.
• Ask before photographing people in religious ceremonies.
• Don't touch the offerings or the ritual objects.
• The "fair" or market attached to a festival is often the most fun part — eat the local specialties, buy the festival food.

What to skip

• The full Tết in HCMC: The city is closed, the family focus is on family.
• The imperial tomb festivals: Many are daily tourist events, not real festivals. Huế is the exception.
• The "festival" tour packages: Most of these are the 3-day Tết package, the 2-day Huế festival package. The do-it-yourself is better.

How to plan around a festival

1. Check the lunar calendar. All Vietnamese festival dates are lunar. Google "Lunar calendar 2026" to convert.

2. Book hotels 2-3 months in advance for the big festivals (Tết, Huế Festival, Lantern Festival in Hội An).

3. Plan transport around the dates. Vietnamese transport (especially flights and trains) is fully booked before Tết and after Tết (the return travel). Avoid the 3 days before and after Tết.

4. Be flexible on the exact day. Lunar festivals are usually 1-3 days, the schedule is approximate, and the most atmospheric moments are the unofficial ones (a process on the way to a festival, a family dinner on a non-festival day).

The 3 festivals most worth traveling for

1. Tết — if you have a Vietnamese family to spend it with, the most authentic experience in the country.
2. Hội An Lantern Festival — for the photo, the atmosphere, the river, the lanterns. Easier to plan than Tết.
3. Huế Festival — for the imperial-court reenactment, the music, the artistic performance. Every 2 years (2026, 2028).