Vietnam public holidays and festivals: dates and closures

Dates below are the fixed ones; lunar dates shift each year, so confirm the exact day before you book. Closures are typical rather than universal.

First, fix your dates against Tết. The lunar new year falls in late January or February and the country effectively slows for a week or more: many family-run shops, restaurants and small hotels close, while long-distance trains, buses and domestic flights sell out and cost more. If you want cities to yourself, Tết is quiet and photogenic; if you want markets, street food and tours running normally, avoid it.

Second, watch the 30 April–1 May block. Reunification Day and Labour Day sit back to back, and Vietnamese families travel, so beach towns such as Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang and Phú Quốc and the Hội An area fill fast. Book transport and rooms four to eight weeks ahead, or shift your trip a week either side.

Third, treat National Day (2 September) as a smaller version of the same problem, especially in Hanoi, where parades and events draw crowds. Fourth, remember that lunar festivals such as Mid-Autumn are not public holidays: offices stay open, but evenings in Hội An and Hanoi are busy and worth planning around.

Finally, build in slack. A public holiday can close the one museum you came for, or turn a two-hour bus into a four-hour one. Keep one spare day per week and check opening hours the day before.

Closures are uneven. International hotels, convenience chains and airports run through holidays, while a family phở shop may shut for a week at Tết. Banks and government offices close on public holidays; plan visa or permit errands around them.

Traffic and safety change too. Holiday weekends bring more motorbikes and drink-driving, so if you are renting a vehicle, read up first. Crowds at Tết and 2 September also mean pickpocketing rises in tourist areas.

Weather is separate from the calendar. The north is cool and damp in January–February, the centre can flood in October, and the south is hot year-round; pick your region by season, then check it against the holiday calendar.