Tet in Vietnam 2026: a Vietnam travel guide to dates, closures and the February travel crunch

Tet Eve falls on 16 February 2026, and New Year's Day on 17 February 2026 starts the Year of the Horse. Any Vietnam travel guide for 2026 should fix those dates first. The public holiday normally runs five days, but the government recently granted 7 to 9 consecutive days, so expect the 2026 window to run roughly 14 to 22 February. Confirm the final Labour Ministry or Government Office announcement before you book anything non-refundable. That change affects hotel rates and domestic flight availability, and it shifts which museums open.

Domestic transport peaks on 15 to 17 February going out and 21 to 23 February coming back. Reunification Express trains and sleeper buses sell out first. If you plan a Vietnam travel guide itinerary around Tet, lock your international flights first, then book domestic legs as soon as your dates are set. Seats vanish weeks ahead and Tet surcharges apply.

Avoid intercity road travel on 16 to 18 February. Police drink-driving enforcement is intense over those days and road accident rates spike. Trains, planes, and ferries are safer if you must move between cities inside the crunch. Motorbike rental shops close or charge peak rates.

Your easiest window is before 12 February or after 24 February. The 18 to 20 February quiet window works for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing, but many family-run shops stay shut. Hotel rates in tourist hubs rise 30 to 100%, restaurants add 10 to 20% surcharges, and flights into SGN or HAN run 30 to 80% above baseline; book those international flights 3 to 4 months ahead. Carry VND 2 to 3 million in small notes because some ATMs run dry and banks close.

For this Vietnam travel guide, the two clean windows around Tet 2026 are before 12 February or after 24 February.

Tet Eve falls on 16 February 2026, New Year's Day on 17 February 2026, the start of the Year of the Horse. The public holiday normally runs five days, and the government recently granted 7 to 9 consecutive days, so expect roughly 14 to 22 February 2026. Verify the final Labour Ministry or Government Office announcement before booking. The busiest outbound travel days are 15 to 17 February, and the busiest return days are 21 to 23 February. Travelling before 12 February or after 24 February gets you normal prices and normal opening hours.

The 18 to 20 February quiet window is the exception. It works for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing because domestic travellers have already left the cities. The trade-off is that many family-run shops stay shut. For Hanoi travel inside the quiet window, you get lighter crowds at the main sights and fewer open kitchens. Check a restaurant's page or phone ahead before you build a day around it.

Weather splits by region. The north is cool and drizzly at 14 to 20°C, the central coast is dry and pleasant, and the south is hot and dry. That southern weather drives the domestic beach rush, and Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Vung Tau sell out. If you want a beach stop without competing with local holidaymakers, book it before 12 February or after 24 February.

If your dates fall inside the 14 to 22 February window, plan around the quiet week but confirm each day's essentials. Carry cash, book transport early, and treat any listed opening hours as a starting point. A Vietnam travel guide itinerary that assumes every restaurant and shop is open will break on 17 to 19 February. The two clean windows remain the simplest way to avoid that.

Over Tet, capacity runs out before price becomes the limiting factor. Book international flights into SGN and HAN 3 to 4 months ahead; fares on those routes run 30 to 80% above baseline in the run-up to the holiday. A seat sold in October does not come back in January at a lower price, so lock the long-haul leg first and build the rest of your Vietnam travel guide itinerary around those dates.

Domestic flights, Reunification Express trains and sleeper buses sell out weeks in advance and carry Tet surcharges on top of normal fares. Trains are full on 15 to 17 February, the heaviest outbound stretch, and the return crush follows on 21 to 23 February. Book the domestic leg as soon as your international dates are locked rather than waiting for a sale that will not arrive. The quiet window of 18 to 20 February is easier for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing, though many family-run shops stay shut.

Motorbike rental gets scarce and expensive because many rental shops close for the holiday. Where bikes are still available, rates rise, and a shop that shuts for a week can leave you chasing a deposit or a return. Ask how many days the shop will stay open before you pay.

Taxis and Grab apply surge pricing through the peak. Confirm the meter is running or agree the fare before you get in, and keep intercity road trips off 16 to 18 February, when drink-driving checks tighten and accident rates rise. The public holiday normally runs five days, but the government recently granted 7 to 9 consecutive days, so expect roughly 14 to 22 February 2026. Verify the final Labour Ministry or Government Office announcement before booking.

On 17 February 2026, New Year's Day of the Year of the Horse, most state museums in Vietnam close, and they stay closed through 19 February. Small restaurants and family-run shops do the same. Convenience chains, malls, international hotels and some cafes keep trading. Many family-run shops stay shut into the quiet window that follows.

Attractions that stay open generally hold normal pricing. Some museums and craft villages suspend operations for the entire holiday, so confirm a craft village or smaller museum is running before you travel out to one. Craft villages and out-of-town sites tend to drop off the calendar with little warning. Restaurants that open often add a 10 to 20% surcharge to the bill.

Closures vary by city. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the beach towns each shut down differently, and a national list published months in advance will be wrong somewhere. Check locally closer to the date. Ask your hotel on 16 February which nearby restaurants plan to open, then build the next three days around the answers. Hotel front desks and a venue's own page are more useful than a roundup written in December.

For 17 to 19 February, base meals and downtime around your hotel, a mall or a convenience chain instead of a list of small local restaurants. Carry cash, VND 2 to 3 million in small notes, because banks close and some ATMs run dry. Hotel rates in tourist hubs run 30 to 100% above normal for this window, so booking ahead matters more than it does in March.

Hotel rates in Vietnam's tourist hubs rise 30 to 100% during Tet, and restaurants add 10 to 20% surcharges. This Vietnam travel guide to costs starts with that premium because it changes every other booking. The 2026 holiday window runs roughly 14 to 22 February, with Tet Eve on 16 February and New Year's Day on 17 February starting the Year of the Horse. Budget for the higher room rate before you compare flights or tours, since the same dates that fill Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also push prices up.

Entry rules do not change for Tet. The 90-day e-visa stays the standard route at about USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multi-entry. Confirm the current fee on the official portal, and allow extra days for the result because Vietnam still processes visas over the holiday. If your travel dates sit inside the 14 to 22 February window, apply earlier than you would in a normal month.

Carry VND 2 to 3 million in small notes. Some ATMs run dry over the holiday and banks close, so cash is the reliable option for meals, transport and small purchases.

## Cautions: scams and road safety over Tet

Vietnam's roads are at their most dangerous over Tet, and the drink-driving crackdown runs at full intensity. Police checkpoints multiply, and road accident rates spike. Avoid intercity road travel from 16 to 18 February. Domestic flights, Reunification Express trains and sleeper buses sell out weeks ahead of that window, so book any journey between cities before you arrive rather than turning up at a bus station.

Taxis are the other predictable problem. Meter tampering and long detours are common when demand peaks, and surge pricing on ride-hailing apps hides overcharging because you have no baseline fare to compare against. Prefer short, known-distance rides, follow the route on your own map, and use Grab where the price is fixed before you get in. If a driver refuses the meter, get out and take the next car.

Fireworks crowds on Tet Eve are where pickpockets work. Keep phones and wallets out of back pockets in dense crowds and carry bags in front of you instead of over one shoulder. The lucky money scam borrows the holiday's own custom: a stranger hands you an envelope or a small token, then asks you to pay for it or to hand back lucky money. Decline and keep walking.

Cash handling is the last piece. Banks close and some ATMs run dry, so carry VND 2 to 3 million in small notes and split it between two places. Restaurant bills commonly carry a 10 to 20% surcharge over Tet, which is legitimate, so check that the surcharge is printed rather than added verbally at the table. Book each leg of a trip separately, because a full domestic route around 21 to 23 February can strand you for days. Work these into your Vietnam travel guide itinerary as fixed constraints rather than afterthoughts.

## Vietnam travel guide: what to verify before you book

The 2026 Tet public holiday is expected to run roughly 14 to 22 February 2026, but the government recently granted 7 to 9 consecutive days instead of the usual five, so the final Labour Ministry or Government Office announcement can move every date in this Vietnam travel guide. Tet Eve is 16 February 2026, and Tet New Year's Day is 17 February 2026, the start of the Year of the Horse. Check that announcement before you lock flights, trains or hotels. The busiest outbound travel days are 15 to 17 February, and the busiest return days are 21 to 23 February.

Long Thanh airport near Ho Chi Minh City is the second variable. Confirm whether it changes Tet arrival logistics before you book a transfer or a connection on the same day into central Ho Chi Minh City. Ask your airline which airport your flight uses, then check the ground transport options from that airport. If your booking relies on a tight arrival, leave a buffer.

Closures differ by city, and that is the third variable. Most state museums, small restaurants and family shops shut from 17 to 19 February, while convenience chains, malls, international hotels and some cafes stay open. The quiet window of 18 to 20 February works for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sightseeing, but many shops run by families stay shut. Neighborhoods differ too, so verify locally closer to the date instead of trusting a national list.

For current confirmations on dates and transport, use vietnam.travel, the Vietnam Briefing public holidays page, Vietnam Coracle and timeanddate. Recheck the holiday span, your arrival airport and local closures within a week of departure. If you want to avoid the crunch, travel before 12 February or after 24 February, and book accommodation and onward transport before arrival.