Festivals in Vietnam: which to plan around, and what they do to travel

How festival dates work, and the year ahead

Nearly every traditional festival in Vietnam is set by the lunar calendar. The national tourism site gives the rules rather than fixed dates: Tet on the first day of the first lunar month, usually in January or February; the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth month, between September and October; the Ghost Festival (Wandering Souls Day) on the 15th day of the seventh month, in late August or early September. Only the state holidays, such as Independence Day on 2 September and New Year's Eve, sit on the Western calendar.

Ethnic minorities keep their own calendars. The Cham date Kate to the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, and the Khmer of the Mekong Delta hold Ok Om Bok at a full moon at the end of the rice harvest. That is why a festival can move by weeks from one year to the next, and why the exact days are often confirmed only a few weeks ahead.

For 2027, one date is already fixed. When we checked on 2026-10-03, VnExpress reported that the government had approved the 2027 holiday plan: public employees are off for seven days from 4 to 10 February 2027, the 28th day of the last lunar month to the fifth day of the new year, which puts the first day of Tet on 6 February. The National Day holiday runs from 2 to 5 September 2027. Vietnam has 12 paid public holidays a year, including Hung Kings' Day, 30 April and 1 May, two days for National Day and Vietnamese Culture Day, and the official advice to book trains and buses early for holidays applies to each of them.

Tet: the festival that reshapes the trip

The tourism board calls Tet Vietnam's largest and most important festival, and its emphasis on family is exactly what makes it complicated for visitors: many people travel home, and the official FAQ warns that many businesses close during the festivities, which it calls an inconvenience to travellers with little time. Plan on fewer places to eat and shop for several days, and confirm that anything you rely on, from a restaurant to a tour, is open on your dates.

Transport fills up before and after the holiday. For the 2027 Tet, VnExpress reported that the aviation authority had raised the number of flights allowed per hour at Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) and Noi Bai (Hanoi) for the peak travel month, 22 January to 20 February 2027, and that the Vietnam Airlines group had opened its first Tet sale with almost 3.7 million seats. The national tourism site advises booking trains well in advance for holidays and peak times, and booking open-tour bus seats at least two weeks ahead on a Vietnamese holiday.

If you want to see Tet, base yourself in one city for the whole holiday rather than moving around. The tourism board suggests the outdoor flower displays and the midnight fireworks on Tet Eve. Several of the north's big spring festivals begin straight after Tet, so the second half of the holiday can be the most interesting part for a visitor.

• Avoid moving on the days just before Tet Eve and at the end of the holiday, when people return to the cities.
• Book rooms and long journeys for late January to mid-February 2027 now, and choose refundable rates.
• Carry some cash and expect fewer small eateries; a hotel with breakfast helps on the quietest days.

Spring pilgrimages in the north

The weeks after Tet are the season of temple festivals around Hanoi. The Perfume Pagoda festival at Huong Son, about 70 km from Hanoi according to the national tourism site, is the longest: the 2026 opening ceremony was held on 22 February, the sixth day of the first lunar month, and the season ran until 11 May, VnExpress reported. The boat ride up the Yen stream and the climb to the Huong Tich cave are part of the pilgrimage, and the tourism board notes that you can visit at any time of year; the festival is a spectacle, but also the most crowded time to go.

The Lim Festival, on the 12th or 13th day of the first lunar month in Bac Ninh, an hour's drive east of Hanoi, is known for quan ho folk songs, sung by men and women in traditional dress who answer each other from dragon boats. The Hung Kings Temple Festival, from the 8th to the 11th day of the third lunar month (April or May) at Viet Tri in Phu Tho, honours the legendary first kings; the official guide describes lanterns released on the eve and processions of pilgrims climbing the hill on the day itself.

Further west, the White Thai of the Mai Chau valley hold the Xen Xo Phon rain-calling festival in the fourth lunar month, between April and May. These are local religious events first and tourist events second: dress modestly, keep to the edges of rituals, and expect village roads to be busy with pilgrims' cars and buses on the main days.

Hue: a city that has turned its festival into a season

The national tourism site describes the Hue Festival and the Hue Craft Village Festival as alternating events held over a week from late April to early May, with performances in the Citadel and around the city and exhibitions of crafts from the surrounding villages. In recent years the city has spread the programme out: VnExpress reported that the Summer Festival within Festival Hue 2026 ran from April to June, opening with the Hue marathon on 17 to 19 April and including palace cuisine, night programmes at the Imperial City and a beach festival at Thuan An.

The festival calendar continues beyond summer. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the national tourism site's event calendar listed a Hue - Culinary Capital 2026 festival for September 2026. Because the line-up changes every year, treat Hue as a destination that usually has something on in spring and early summer, and check the city's programme for the year before you fix nights there.

Hue is also the place the tourism board recommends for the Ghost Festival, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, when families make offerings at graves and pagodas and burn paper money and clothes for the spirits. It is a quiet, family occasion rather than a show: watch from a respectful distance at the pagodas.

Mid-Autumn and Hoi An's full-moon nights

The Mid-Autumn Festival (Tet Trung Thu) is Vietnam's children's festival. The tourism board describes weeks of lion-dance practice in the streets, mooncake stalls on every other corner and, on the night of the full moon, children's lantern processions led by lion dancers and the masked Ong Dia, the Earth God. It is celebrated everywhere, so it suits a trip that is already in Vietnam in September or October.

Hoi An is the official site's top pick: boats and lanterns float down the Thu Bon River, and dance and drum troupes perform in front of pagodas and shops in the Ancient Town. If your dates miss Mid-Autumn, Hoi An repeats a smaller version every month: the town's heritage authority holds an Old Town Night on the 14th night of each lunar month, when electric lights give way to candles and lanterns and local groups perform folk songs, traditional music and the bai choi card game. Both nights bring the town's biggest crowds, so sleep within walking distance of the Ancient Town.

In Hanoi, the tourism board points to Hang Ma and Luong Van Can streets in the Old Quarter, packed with lanterns and toys in the days before the festival. In Ho Chi Minh City, it sends you to Cho Lon and Luong Nhu Hoc Street for lanterns, masks and lion heads. Mid-Autumn also falls in the central coast's wet season, when the tourism board's climate guide warns of heavy rain and some floods in Hoi An, so keep a back-up plan for a wet night on the river.

Cham, Khmer and highland festivals

Kate is the highlight of the year for the Cham, according to the national tourism site: over three days they honour their ancestors and the heroes of their history with rites, offerings and sacred dancing at three temples in the former Ninh Thuan province around Phan Rang, which became part of Khanh Hoa in the 2025 provincial merger, followed by a celebration. The Cham of the former Binh Thuan province hold their own Kate at the Po Sah Inu towers near Phan Thiet, where VnExpress described the procession carrying the costume of the goddess up to the tower. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the official event calendar listed Kate under October 2026 without exact days, so confirm locally before you travel.

Ok Om Bok is the Khmer festival of thanks to the moon, which they see as the god of the harvest. The tourism board places it in Soc Trang, now part of Can Tho city, with feasting, singing, dancing and the ngo boat race that draws thousands of spectators. It gives the date as the night of the 14th day of the tenth lunar month and the season as early December, while VnExpress has reported the moon ceremony at a Khmer pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City in early November, because the festival follows the Khmer rather than the Vietnamese calendar. Watch for the year's announcement before booking a room in Soc Trang, where choice is limited, or stay in Can Tho.

In the Central Highlands, when we checked on 2026-10-03, the national tourism site listed the Central Highlands Gong Culture International Festival for October 2026 in Gia Lai, presenting the UNESCO-recognised Space of Gong Culture with performances and rituals. Large cultural festivals like this are announced in the official calendar, so check it before a highlands trip rather than assuming a date a year ahead.