Vietnam Festivals: A Seasonal Calendar for Travelers

Most Vietnam festivals follow the lunar calendar, so they move each year, and the busiest season is spring, in the weeks after Tet. This guide from our Vietnam travel blog explains how the calendar works, then lists festivals by season, the monthly full-moon nights, and how festivals affect travel and visas.

Traditional festivals in Vietnam range from huge national holidays to village celebrations of local spirits. Some are public holidays that close offices, including visa processing; if your trip falls near one, apply for a Vietnam e-visa online early.

Festivals at a glance:

How Vietnam's festival calendar works

Vietnam uses the solar calendar for daily life, but most traditional festivals follow the lunar calendar, which starts with Tet in late January or February. A festival on "the 15th day of the 8th month" falls on a different solar date each year.

Check a lunar calendar converter or local listings for the dates in your travel year. A few holidays, such as 30 April, 2 September and the new Vietnam Culture Day on 24 November, follow fixed solar dates.

Spring festivals

Spring, the first three lunar months, is Vietnam's festival season. Tet comes first; our guide to traveling during Tet explains what to expect.

The Perfume Pagoda festival is one of the largest Buddhist pilgrimages, with boat trips along a stream to cave temples southwest of Hanoi; weekends are extremely crowded. The Lim festival in Bac Ninh features Quan Ho folk singing. The Hung Kings Commemoration honors the legendary founders of the nation and is a public holiday.

Summer festivals

Summer is quieter for traditional festivals, but cities hold large modern events. Buddha's birthday, in the 4th lunar month, brings lanterns and processions to pagodas.

Da Nang hosts an international fireworks festival in early summer, drawing teams from abroad and big crowds along the Han River. Hue holds arts and heritage festivals with royal ceremonies; check the current year's program before planning around them.

Autumn festivals

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in September or early October. It is a children's festival, with lanterns, lion dances and mooncakes.

Hanoi's Hang Ma street fills with lanterns and toys in the week before. In the south-central coast, the Cham people celebrate the Kate festival at their temple towers in autumn.

Monthly full-moon nights

The Hoi An lantern festival is held every month around the full moon, on the 14th and 15th days of the lunar month. Shops dim their electric lights, lanterns glow and people float paper lanterns on the river.

It is one of the easiest festivals to plan for, because it happens every month; our Hoi An travel guide covers the town. Two practical points follow: how public holidays affect travel, and how to behave at festivals.

Planning a trip around Vietnam festivals

Festivals add color to a trip, but some also close offices and fill transport. These two points help you plan.

Holidays and visa processing

Tet, Hung Kings Day, 30 April, 1 May, 2 September and Vietnam Culture Day are public holidays when visa processing pauses. Our guide to visa processing during public holidays shows how to count working days around them.

Festival etiquette

Dress modestly at temples and pagodas, remove shoes where others do, and ask before photographing people praying. Crowds can be intense at the biggest festivals, so keep valuables close. Our guide to Vietnamese customs covers wider etiquette.

VietnamVisa-Easy.com is a private visa service operated by H2 Global Travel JSC since 2012, not a government website, and you can apply directly at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If you would like your dates checked against holidays, start your application with us.