Vietnam Holiday Calendar 2026

Planning a trip to Southeast Asia requires more than just picking a flight and a hotel. Keeping a close eye on the Vietnam holiday calendar can be the difference between a smooth journey and a logistical headache.

While many Vietnamese festivals offer vibrant cultural insights, bank holidays here often lead to closed government offices, packed domestic transport, and fully booked hotels. Knowing when the locals are on the move helps you choose whether to join the party or seek a quieter escape.

In this guide, we have gathered most of the important events you might encounter. Some of them are truly worth seeing for their unique atmosphere, while others might be better to avoid if you prefer a stress-free travel experience. To help you differentiate between the two, we have included personal opinions from experienced travelers on our travel team. These are people who have lived through these dates on the ground and have honest, practical advice to share.

To ensure you are working with the most accurate data, we have cross-referenced these dates with the official 2026 holiday announcement from the Government of Vietnam (Bao Chinh Phu), providing you with a reliable roadmap for your travels.

January: The Grand Opening

• January 1–4: New Year Holiday. Vietnam kicks off the year with a nationwide four-day break. You can expect massive countdown events in major cities and heavy domestic travel as locals take advantage of the long weekend.
• January 2–4: Swallowtail Boat Racing Festival (Muong Lay, Dien Bien). This traditional Thai ethnic event features boat races on the Da River. It is a great chance to see local cultural performances. Note that the location is quite remote in the northern mountains.
• January 16–25: Cherry Blossom Season in Da Lat. The city turns pink during this peak blooming period. While beautiful, the blossoms are weather-dependent, so the timing can shift slightly each year.

February: The Month of Tet

• February 14–22: Tet Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year) Public Holiday. This is the most significant of all celebrations in Vietnam. The country essentially pauses for family gatherings and temple visits.
  • February 16: Lunar New Year’s Eve.
  • February 17: First day of the Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse).
  • Traveler Tip: Most shops and restaurants close for the first three days of Tet. Transport is incredibly difficult to book, and prices for remaining services often spike.
• February 22 (Lunar January 6): Perfume Pagoda Festival Opening. This marks the start of the longest pilgrimage season in Vietnam. Thousands of people head to the cave pagodas west of Hanoi. It is culturally fascinating but can be extremely crowded.

Experienced Traveler Opinion on Tet
As a three-time survivor of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam, my only advice to travelers is this: run before it begins! These dates are definitely far from the best time to visit Vietnam. Hotels are overbooked, and buses are either full or canceled. In return for the logistical hassle, you get to watch lion dances and see beautifully decorated cities, but the trade-off is steep.
Almost all shops and cafes close down, and you will likely encounter many intoxicated people on the roads and loud karaoke blaring from every house. In my opinion, these celebrations are for local people to enjoy, but for travelers to avoid. If your schedule is flexible and you are in the country around these dates, I highly suggest visiting one of the bigger cities a few days before the celebration begins. The atmosphere by then is already impressive, allowing you to catch the festive spirit without paying the consequences.

March: Lanterns Time

• March 2: Hoi An Lantern Night. While this full-moon celebration happens monthly, the March edition is considered the most significant. The Old Town switches off electric lights, using only lanterns and candles. It is stunning for photography, though the narrow streets become very congested with tourists.

I have seen Hoi AN on a regular weekend evening, on the Full moon lantern night and even on the International Earth hour held yearly, that Hoi an also actively participates in. Honestly – very little difference. Full moon in this town is a nice thing to experience, if you have the chance but it doesn’t really worth of builing your plans around this event

Experienced Traveler Opinion on Hoi An Lantern Night
I have seen Hoi An on a regular weekend evening, during the Full Moon Lantern Night, and even during the international Earth Hour. Honestly, there is very little difference between them. While the full moon in this town is a nice thing to experience if you happen to be there, it really isn’t worth building your entire travel itinerary around this specific event. The town is naturally beautiful every night, and you can enjoy the lantern-lit atmosphere without the massive surge in crowds that the official festival date brings.

April: National Heritage and History

• April 26–27: Hung Kings Commemoration Holiday. This bank holiday honors the nation’s founders. Large rituals take place at the Hung Temple in Phu Tho Province. Expect heavy traffic if you are traveling between Hanoi and the northern provinces.
• April 30: Reunification Day. This national holiday marks the end of the Vietnam War. You will see flags everywhere and patriotic ceremonies in major cities. It often merges with May 1 to create a long travel window for locals.

May: Busies Month on Vietnam Holiday Calendar in 2026

• May 1: International Labor Day. A standard public holiday where most offices close.
• May 13: Khau Vai Love Market. This unique annual gathering in the far north is where former lovers meet to catch up on their lives. It is a deep look into ethnic culture, but the mountain roads in Ha Giang are steep and challenging for inexperienced riders.
• May 30 – July 11: Da Nang International Fireworks Festival. On weekends, teams from around the world compete over the Han River. Hotels in Da Nang book up months in advance, and riverfront views come at a premium.
• May 31: Vesak Day (Buddha’s Birthday). Major Buddhist observances occur nationwide. Large pagodas like Bai Dinh or Quan Su are the best places to see the ceremonies.

Experienced Traveler Opinion on Khau Vai Love Market
I still have mixed impressions after visiting the Khau Vai Love Market back in 2022. Even though you could count the foreign travelers on one hand during the main celebration, the number of local tourists arriving from Hanoi and other cities was massive. While it was fascinating to see ethnic minorities in their bright tribal outfits and watch the traditional offerings at the altars, the event felt like it was on the edge of a “human zoo.” It was a strange contrast where some people were there to honor their traditions, while hundreds of others came just to stare, which unfortunately ruined the once-intimate atmosphere of the gathering.

June: Summer Spectacles

• June 13–18: Hue Festival 2026 Peak Week. While the Hue Festival now spans the entire year under a “four-season” model, this specific week in June is the undisputed highlight. It is the only time when dozens of international art troupes join local performers for a high-density schedule of street parades, traditional court music, and royal reenactments within the Citadel.

August and September: Independence Peak Travel

• August 29 – September 2: National Day Holiday Period. This is a major five-day break. It is one of the busiest domestic travel periods of the year. Expect popular beaches and mountain retreats to be at 100% capacity.
• September 2: Le Thuy Boat Racing Festival (Quang Binh Province). A historic race held annually in Central Vietnam to celebrate Independence Day. It is a high-energy local event if you happen to be visiting the nearby caves.

September: Lantern Season for Families

• September 25: Mid-Autumn Festival. This is a joy for families, celebrated nationwide but most vibrantly in the historic quarters of major cities. Children carry star-shaped lanterns and perform lion dances on nearly every street corner. While mooncakes are sold everywhere, the best of the festival is found in three specific spots: Hanoi’s Hang Ma Street, the Chinatown district in Ho Chi Minh City, and Hoi An Ancient Town.

October: Hanoi History

• October 10: Hanoi Capital Liberation Day. The city marks its history with exhibitions and cultural programs. It is a proud day for Hanoians and a great time to be in the capital.

November: Khmer Festivals in the Mekong

• November 23: Ok Om Bok Festival and Ghe Ngo Boat Races. This Khmer celebration includes moon-worship rituals and spectacular long-boat races. It is a rare opportunity to see the distinct Khmer culture within Vietnam’s borders. The festival honors the Moon God for a successful harvest and marks the year’s end in the Khmer calendar. While the moon-worship rituals are deeply spiritual, the main attraction is the Ghe Ngo race on the Maspero River. These snakelike boats are 82 to 98 feet (25 to 30 meters) long and powered by up to 60 rowers.

December: Year-End Atmosphere

• December (Dates TBA): Da Lat Flower Festival. This biennial event turns the city into a giant garden. It is beautiful but results in massive traffic jams on the narrow winding roads leading into town.
• December 24–25: Christmas. While not a public holiday, major cities have a festive atmosphere. Large crowds gather around the cathedrals, and streets in the center are often blocked for pedestrian traffic.

Making the Most of the Vietnam Holiday Calendar

Navigating the Vietnam holiday calendar requires a bit of strategy. If you travel during Tet or National Day, you will experience the heart of Vietnamese culture, but you must book everything at least three to four months in advance.

On the other hand, visiting just after these major breaks often results in lower prices and much thinner crowds. Keep in mind that during the rainy season in the north or the peak heat of the south, some outdoor festivals can be physically taxing.

By aligning your dates with these local celebrations, you ensure that your 2026 trip is defined by vivid memories rather than logistical hurdles.