Tet 2027 Vietnam: Dates, What Closes, and Hanoi or Hoi An at New Year

Tet 2027 Vietnam plans start with one date: Saturday 6 February, the first day of the lunar new year. It changes travel more than any other week of the year. Public offices close for a full week around it, and millions of people travel home in the days before. For visitors this means two things: transport and rooms around those dates sell out early, and many small shops and family restaurants close for several days. It can still be a good time to be in Hanoi or Hoi An if you plan for it. This guide explains what closes, what stays open and how to time a trip.

Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Tet 2027 Vietnam dates at a glance

• Kitchen Gods day (Ong Cong Ong Tao): around 30 January 2027. Families send off the kitchen gods, often by releasing carp into lakes and rivers. Markets get busy from this point.
• Last days of the year: 4 and 5 February. Offices close, flower and kumquat markets peak, and the roads out of the cities are at their busiest.
• New Year's Eve (Giao Thua): the night of 5 February, with fireworks in larger cities at midnight.
• Tet, the first day of the new lunar year: Saturday 6 February 2027.
• First days of the year: 6 to 8 February are the quietest days for business. Many people visit family and temples.
• Back to work: public offices reopen on 11 February 2027. Private companies choose their own five-day break, so some shops reopen earlier.

The new year is the Year of the Goat.

What closes during Tet, and for how long

Small family businesses are the first to close. Street food stalls, local restaurants, tailors and small shops often shut from New Year's Eve for three days or more. Some stay closed for a week.

Markets are very busy in the days before Tet and then quiet. Traditional markets may close for the first days of the year.

Museums and attractions usually stay open for most of the period, but some close on New Year's Eve or the first day. Check opening days for any museum you plan around.

Banks and government offices close for the whole official break. Withdraw cash before the holiday, as some ATMs run low.

What stays open: hotels, larger restaurants in tourist areas, international chains, convenience stores and shopping malls in big cities. In Hanoi's Old Quarter and Hoi An's ancient town, many places that serve visitors stay open or reopen after a day or two.

Transport: the hardest part to plan

The busiest travel days are the week before Tet, when people go home, and the days after the break, when they return. In 2027 that means roughly 30 January to 5 February, then 9 to 11 February.

• Trains between Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City sell out early for these dates. Book as soon as sales open.
• Domestic flights add extra services, but fares rise and popular routes fill up.
• Buses and limousine vans also fill, and some private operators charge more.
• Grab and taxis work in cities, though prices can go up and drivers are fewer on New Year's Eve and the first day.

The calmest travel days are often New Year's Eve afternoon and the first day of Tet itself, when most people are at home. If you need to move between cities, those days can be easier than you expect.

Hanoi at Tet

Hanoi changes in the weeks before Tet. Flower markets sell peach blossom branches and kumquat trees, and you see them tied to the backs of motorbikes all over the city. The Old Quarter streets fill with red and gold decorations.

Photo: Hoàng Đức Xuyên T59 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

On New Year's Eve, the city usually holds fireworks at several sites, including near Hoan Kiem Lake. Sites and times are announced shortly before, so check local news for 2027.

In the first days of the year the city becomes very quiet. Many residents have gone to their home provinces, and the streets that are normally full of motorbikes are almost empty. Temples such as the Temple of Literature and pagodas around West Lake are busy with families making their first visit of the year.

Weather: February in Hanoi is cool and often grey, with drizzle. Bring a jacket and layers.

A practical pattern: arrive a few days before Tet for the markets and decorations, stay put over the first two days, and travel on once things reopen. Our 4 days in Hanoi sample trip gives a base plan you can shift around the closures.

Hoi An at Tet

Hoi An is smaller and more tourism-based, so more businesses stay open. The ancient town is decorated with lanterns and flowers, and the riverside is busy with Vietnamese families as well as foreign visitors.

Some heritage houses and assembly halls covered by the ancient town ticket may close on the first day or keep shorter hours. Tailors, a big draw in Hoi An, often close for several days, so order clothes well before the holiday if you want them.

Weather: February in central Vietnam is mild, at the tail end of the rainy season. Some grey or wet days are still possible, but beach days become more likely towards March.

Da Nang airport is the usual gateway. Book your transfer ahead, as drivers are in demand. Our 3 days in Hoi An trip shows how to split time between the old town, the beach and the countryside.

Is Tet a good time to visit Vietnam?

It depends on what you want.

Good reasons to go:

• You see the country's biggest celebration, with decorations, flowers and fireworks.
• City streets are calm for a few days.
• Hotels in tourist areas stay open and can be good value outside the peak days.

Reasons to avoid it:

• You want to travel around a lot in a short time.
• You want to eat at small local places, which are often closed.
• You need shopping or services such as tailors, repairs or visas.

A middle path works for many people: be in one place for the main days, enjoy the atmosphere, and do your long journeys before 30 January or after 11 February.

Etiquette and small things to know

• Lucky money (li xi): red envelopes are given to children and staff. As a visitor you do not need to, but it is a kind gesture to staff at a small guesthouse.
• The first visitor: many families believe the first person to enter a home in the new year brings luck. If you are invited, ask your host when it is best to come.
• Greeting: "Chuc mung nam moi" means "Happy New Year".
• Prices: some cafés and restaurants add a holiday surcharge for the first days of the year. This is normal.

Planning checklist

• Book trains and flights for late January and early February as soon as you can.
• Book rooms early in Hoi An and central Hanoi, and check that your hotel restaurant will be open.
• Withdraw enough cash before 4 February.
• Make a list of places you want to eat and check if they close.
• Plan one quiet day per city for the first days of the year.

If you are also visiting other parts of Asia around this time, our guide to Lunar New Year 2027 covers closures in Seoul, Singapore and Bangkok. You can lay out the whole route in RoamerPlanner and move days around if a train sells out.

Quick FAQ

When is Tet 2027? Saturday 6 February 2027. The official public-sector break runs from 4 to 10 February.

Is everything closed during Tet? No. Hotels, malls, larger restaurants and most tourist sights stay open, but many small family businesses close for several days.

Can I travel by train during Tet? Yes, but book early for the days before and after the holiday. The first day of Tet is often quiet on the roads.

Sources, checked 4 November 2026: Vietnam Ministry of Home Affairs announcement on the 2027 Lunar New Year holiday (4 to 10 February 2027, Tet on 6 February). Fireworks sites, museum opening days and train sale dates for Tet 2027 had not been announced at the time of writing.

Cover photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0