As Vietnam transforms into a global manufacturing hub, more and more business people regard it as a top destination for investment in manufacturing due to its strategic location and advantages in shipping, competitive labor, and production costs. Actually, Vietnamese culture was heavily influenced by Chinese culture due to the 1000 years of Northern rule. The way Vietnamese celebrate their festivals is similar to Chinese. Today, we will take a look at major holidays in Vietnam.

New Year’s Day (1 Jan to 3 Jan)

In Vietnam, the most important New Year's celebrations take place around Tet, the traditional Lunar New Year. However, on January 1st, Vietnam celebrates New Year's Day according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Tet Holiday (29 Jan to 6 Feb)

Tet, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture. The traditional New Year’s Day of Vietnam falls on the first day of the first month of the ancient lunisolar calendar. This typically puts “Tet” in late January or early February on the Gregorian Calendar. The holiday is celebrated for several consecutive days.

Traditionally, people will clean their houses as Tet approaches in an attempt to “sweep away” any bad luck that has accumulated from the old year. You should never clean on Tet itself.

People will visit relatives and friends during the three days of Tet, and they will also visit temples and shrines. Some may seek to honour their ancestors on this day.

Homes are often decorated for the season. Families will also gather to feast on sumptuous dishes, snacks, and sweets and to start the new year together.

Tet is generally celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival), except when the one-hour time difference between Vietnam and China results in the new moon occurring on different days. 

Each Lunar New Year will have a symbolic animal. 12 Vietnamese zodiac signs are different from Chinese ones (The fourth zodiac sign in Vietnam is Cat while it is Rabbit in China). Every animal will bring unique luck in its year so you can see them everywhere in Vietnam through Tet holiday decorations or advertisement signs. Tet holiday 2022 is the year of the Tiger.

Compared to Chinese factories, Vietnamese factories have a shorter break during the New Year Period. This is because prior to the Chinese New Year break, the Chinese celebrate a traditional holiday called the Laba holiday. Therefore, Chinese factories can close for up to a month, which is significantly longer than that of Vietnamese factories.

Hung Kings Commemoration Holiday (10 Apr to 11 Apr)

The Hùng Kings Festival (also known as the Death Anniversary of the Hùng Kings) is one of Vietnam’s largest annual celebrations. This main festival day is observed on the 10th day of the third lunar month and since 2007 this has been a national holiday in Vietnam.

The holiday is dedicated to the memory of the Hung line of kings who ruled Vietnam as priestly kings for over 2,500 years up until around 250 B.C. These kings are counted as the nation’s ancient founders.

Each year offerings are held simultaneously at over 1,400 Hung Kings temples across Vietnam. The key ceremony takes place at the Hung Temple on Nghia Linh Mountain in Phu Tho Province, some 85km northwest of Hanoi.

Over five million visitors from all corners of the country will head to the northern Phu Tho province to commemorate the Hùng Kings. A procession starts at the foot of the mountain and stops at every temple on the ascent before pilgrims offer prayers and incense to the Hung Kings when they reach the Hung Temple.

The worship of the Hùng kings in Phú Thọ was recognised in 2012 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Reunification Day Holiday (30 April)

Reunification Day, also known as Liberation Day or Victory Day, commemorates the historic moment when the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North) and the Republic of Vietnam (South) areas were unified under a single, undivided government. It also marks the end of the Vietnam War, the fall of the Saigon government and the unification of two countries. As a result, Reunification Day is a source of pride and nationalism for Vietnamese people.

Vietnam celebrates Reunification Day on 30 April. This is the date of the fall of Saigon to Communist forces at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Soon after taking the city, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the North’s famous leader.

On this day, you will see the Vietnamese flag flying high all over the country. There will be a parade in Ho Chi Minh City, and many political leaders will give public speeches. Banks and government offices will shut down for the day, and many will get the day off work or school.

International Labor Day (May 1) 

May 1st, also known as International Worker’s Day or May Day, is a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago while Chicago workers demonstrated on the street against working eight hours a day and the strike widely spread to many other cities such as New York and Baltimore. Although the strike was heavily suppressed, causing the deaths of hundreds people, it finally succeeded. Over 80 countries in the world officially regarded it as national holiday and many others celebrate it unofficially. In Vietnam, it is known as International Labor Day and considered as a public holiday.

National Day (Sep 2)

The Independence Day of Vietnam (Vietnam National Day) is observed annually on September 2, commemorating the day in 1945 when Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh declared its independence from French colonial rule.

Across the country, Vietnamese celebrate this national holiday by honoring the ancient leaders who fought for the country’s freedom and engaging themselves into cheerful festivities such as fireworks, parades and dance shows.

This is a very patriotic holiday with the national flag of Vietnam displayed everywhere and large posters of Ho Chi Minh (‘Uncle Ho’) adorning city walls.