Tết Survival Guide

Introducing the Where in Vietnam x Santa Fe Relocation Tet Survival Guide 2024!

Welcome to Tết, the vibrant “Festival of the First Day of the Year” in Vietnam, also known as Tết Nguyên Đán. As one of the most significant celebrations in Vietnamese culture, Tet marks a period of bustling family gatherings, travels, and nationwide festivities.
Santa Fe Relocation has been sharing a trusted resource for 14 years and we at Where in Vietnam are honoured to be the first people they’ve partnered with on their irreplaceable Tet Survival Guide.

In this guide you’ll find an overview to answer your questions:

1. What is Tet?
2. How is Tet celebrated in Vietnam?
3. What are the customs and traditions of Tet?
4. How you can celebrate Tet as a foreigner
5. Tet Events in Hanoi
6. Tet Events in HCMC

Plus a comprehensive list of Vietnam’s business openings / closures during this busy time > yes this means What’s open over tet in HCMC, what’s open over Tết in Hanoi, What’s open over Tết in Danang, Hoi An and more!

Here’s a little snippet of what you can expect in this guide

1. Tết At A Glance

• Tết is short for Tết Nguyên Đán which means “Festival of the First Day of the Year”
• This is the busiest time of year in Vietnam and one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture, so you’ll see many in family gatherings, trips and general festivities across the country
• The date of celebration vary year to year as Tết is based on the lunar calendar. This year, Giáp Thìn, is from Friday Feb 9 to Wed Feb 14.
• New Years Eve is Feb 9 and New Year is Feb 10
• Vietnamese traditionally celebrate Tết from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. And, even today, businesses can slow down two weeks before and two weeks after TET.
• While businesses in expat areas and big cities will have flexible business hours, more local and rural areas will be closed almost entirely. Expect surcharges on travel and general services too that are open during the Tet
• To be on the safe side, we suggest stocking up on supplies to last at least 1-2 days.

2. The Year of the Dragon

The Year of the Dragon (Long Năm in Vietnamese) holds a place of honor as one of the twelve zodiac animals in Vietnam. The mythical origin of the Vietnamese people is deeply tied to dragons so this year’s Tet symbolism is particularly poignant for Vietnam as a whole.
In Vietnamese culture, the dragon is a symbol of power, luck, and prosperity. Those born in the Year of the Dragon are believed to inherit these qualities, making it a highly coveted zodiac sign.
The Vietnamese tell a tale of Lạc Long Quân, a dragon lord, and Âu Cơ, a fairy, and is a foundational narrative illustrating the dragon’s benevolence and its connection to Vietnam’s heritage. Beyond that, Dragon dances, Dragon Processions and Dragon boat racing are a few of the ways that Dragons manifest in Vietnam year around – so imagine how exciting it is to BE in the Year of the Dragon in Vietnam!

3. Getting Ready & Celebrating Tết

The celebration of Tết in Vietnam is all about cleaning out old energies and ushering in new energies for the New Year. Cleaning, New Clothes, Sharing Good Fortune are common themes in getting ready and during Tết celebration. These Common Tết traditions and customs come alive in every part of life!