Plan Your Trip
Visiting Hanoi During Tet
Tet is Vietnam's biggest holiday by far — a fascinating, atmospheric time to be in Hanoi, but one that changes how the city runs in ways worth planning around.
What Tet actually is
Tet Nguyen Dan (usually just called Tet) is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year — roughly equivalent in cultural weight to Christmas and New Year combined in Western countries. Exact dates shift each year with the lunar calendar, typically falling somewhere between late January and mid-February.
What changes in the city
- Flower markets — in the weeks before Tet, streets fill with vendors selling peach blossom branches and kumquat trees, a genuinely beautiful and photogenic lead-up to the holiday.
- Closures — many family-run restaurants, shops and street food stalls close for several days around the holiday itself, as owners return to their hometowns to celebrate with family. Larger hotels, chain restaurants and tourist-oriented businesses generally stay open.
- Transport demand spikes — flights and trains around Tet get busy and pricier, as this is the year's biggest domestic travel period.
- Fireworks and public celebrations — Hoan Kiem Lake and other central areas host public countdown events on New Year's Eve itself.
Should you visit during Tet?
If you're specifically interested in Vietnamese culture and don't mind some unpredictability with opening hours, Tet is a genuinely special, atmospheric time to be in Hanoi — the flower markets and festive mood are worth experiencing. If your priority is maximum access to restaurants, tours and a predictable schedule, the weeks immediately before or after Tet may serve you better than the holiday period itself.