Stunning scenery, combined with high-level customer service and charming local culture, make Vietnam an ideal travel destination for all traveler profiles. From the northern mountains and the laid-back central coastline, down to the exotic flood plains of the southern provinces, Vietnam’s variety is one of its unique selling points. A year-round destination, the geography of Vietnam ensures it’s always a good time to travel, no matter what time of year.
Halong Bay
Halong is a beautiful, natural wonder in northern Vietnam, where approximately a three-hour drive east of Hanoi . The Bay is dotted with over 1,600 limestone islands and islets, and covers an area of over 1,500 square kilometers. Being a coastal city, it has unique potential for tourism, and as a seaport, due to the fact it lies along the extensive, 50 km shore, and is just 160 km to the north-east of Hanoi. The city is divided into two parts: Bai Chay is the tourist area with plenty of hotels and restaurants, and Hon Gai is the local area with businesses and markets. The two parts are connected by the enormous Bai Chay Bridge, and this entire, extraordinary area was a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1994. For many tourists, this place is like something right out of a movie, and has, indeed, been featured in quite a few! The fact is that Halong Bay features a wide range of biodiversity, while the surrealistic scenery has indeed featured in endless movies, giving you a truly, mathematically beautiful experience.
Take a stroll down Nguyen Hue street in Ho Chi Minh City during the Tet Holiday to admire the street’s annual flower festival. From January 22 to 28, this pedestrian boulevard will be transformed with elaborate flower displays, artwork, and LED lights. Themed installations will be set up along the 720-meter stretch, and visitors are welcome to take photos with the flower arrangements – a favorite part of the city’s Tet festivities.
Tet Festival (Lunar New Year)
February
Nationwide, Vietnam
This is the most significant national holiday and can be compared to Christmas in Europe. Most Vietnamese people will take a week off from work and gather with their family and friends in their hometown to celebrate. Based on the older Sino-Vietnamese calendar, Tet is the “Feast of the First Morning of the First Day.” Many Vietnamese people prepare for Tet by cooking exceptional cuisine and cleaning the house.
Roong Pooc Festival
March
Sapa, Vietnam
Every year, after the 1st Dragon Day of the 1st lunar month, the Giay minority in Ta Van village, Sapa, will celebrate their Roóng Poọc Festival to pray for harvests, health, and weather. Right after the opening ritual finishes, traditional music heralds the start of exciting folk games which draw a huge crowd. The women actually “pretend” to lose the war, which should bring prosperous crops in the coming year.
Giong Festival at Soc Temple
February
Hanoi, Vietnam
Giong Festival is annually celebrated in springtime in several parts of Hanoi in order to commemorate Saint Giong, one of the “four immortals” of Vietnam. According to cultural experts, the festivals held in the Phu Dong (where Saint Giong was born) and Soc Temples (where he ascended to heaven) are the most meaningful and notable, recognized by UNESCO as pieces of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Roong Pooc Festival
March
Sapa, Vietnam
Every year, after the 1st Dragon Day of the 1st lunar month, the Giay minority in Ta Van village, Sapa, will celebrate their Roóng Poọc Festival to pray for harvests, health, and weather. Right after the opening ritual finishes, traditional music heralds the start of exciting folk games which draw a huge crowd. The women actually “pretend” to lose the war, which should bring prosperous crops in the coming year.
Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival
February
Ninh Binh, Vietnam
The Bai Dinh pagoda complex is nestled in Bai Dinh Mountain, Ninh Binh. Bai Dinh holds many records in central Vietnam: the largest pagoda area of Vietnam at 107 hectares, the biggest bronze Buddha statues in Southeast Asia (36 and 27 tons), the most La Han statues in all of Vietnam (500, built from 2-meter slabs of marble). This makes it a very special place to honor both historical heroes and the Divine.
Perfume Pagoda Festival
February - April
Hanoi, Vietnam
The Perfume Pagoda, 69 kilometers outside Hanoi, is doubtlessly the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in northern Vietnam. Many pilgrims reach this sacred cave to pray for happiness and prosperity in the coming year. The Perfume Pagoda stands alongside a group of caves – an impressive architectural ensemble of human and natural creations. Several activities dominate the festival at its three venues: Huong Tich, Tuyet Son, and Long Van.
Tet Nguyen Tieu (Lantern Festival)
February
Nationwide, Vietnam
After the Lunar New Year (Tet Nguyen Dan), the huge festival Tet Nguyen Tieu is held throughout the country. Tet Nguyen Tieu is considered a deeply traditional cultural festival, which is held to maintain and develop the national personality and presence of Vietnam’s Chinese community. Meanwhile, this festival contributes to an even more jubilant atmosphere during the New Year holidays, especially around large Chinese communities in Ho chi Minh City and Hoi An.
Hung King Temple Festival
April
Phu Tho, Vietnam
The Hung King Temple, located on Nghia Linh Mountain 85 kilometers from Hanoi, hosts a grand festival for the Hung Kings – instrumental figures in founding Vietnam – which lasts for three days. Banh Day Cakes (round sticky rice cakes) are served to remind people how the Hung Kings taught people to grow rice, and the Lang Lieu Legend is that of the 18th Hung King, who invented the cakes.
Ba Chua Xu Festival
May - June
Ba Chua Xu Temple, Chau Doc, Vietnam
Sam Mountain, located 5 kilometers from Chau Doc town in An Giang province, is the center of a historical complex of the old Tay An Pagoda, Ba Chua Xu Shrine (Goddess of the region), Hang Pagoda, and the Imperial Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau (Thoai Ngoc Hau (1761–1829), a high-ranking mandarin served under Nguyen Dynasty and recognized by his faithful service).
Danang International Fireworks Festival
June to July
Danang, Vietnam
Danang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF), held for the first time in 2008, gradually became an annual and significant tourist attraction. Teams from all over the world, from Portugal to Poland, compete against each other and offer an incredible spectacle to locals and visitors. With intense preparation, each display is a masterpiece of sound and light and an artistic show, illustrating the competing countries’ world-class skills against the beautiful backdrop of Vietnam’s ‘Bridge City.’
Tra Co Festival
July
Tra Co City, Vietnam
A few hours east of Halong Bay, the seaside city of Móng Cái celebrates the Trà Cổ Festival every summer. The festival commemorates the spiritual guardian of the community, whose shrine was built in 1511 during the Le Dynasty. This relic of Vietnam’s feudal era is honored with a colorful procession ending on the beach, followed by traditional games and activities. The local highlight is the pig competition, when the victor Ông Voi (Sir Elephant) is offered to the ancestors. Other activities include cooking and chess competitions. This year, the Trà Cổ Festival will be held from July 20 to 26.
Long Chu Festival
August
Hoi An, Vietnam
On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, villagers on the beach in Hoi An staged a ritual to protect the area during the change of seasons. The boatmen in the area will carry a bamboo replica of the Long Chu dragon boat in a procession from the village to the river and the sea. The dragon boat is a royal symbol of divine strength to ward off epidemics and bad luck. Traditional singing and folk games are also part of the festivities.
Mid-Autumn Festival
September
Nationwide, Vietnam
Also known as the Full Moon Festival, this event marks the moon at its roundest, brightest, and most beautiful during the year. On this day, many activities are organized specifically for children in their neighborhoods and communities. They enjoy lion dances, delicious moon cakes, fruits and presents from their parents. The streets come alive with professional and non-professional lion dances, lanterns, and excited laughter from children all over the country.
Dalat Flower Festival
November to December
Dalat, Vietnam
Dalat Flower Festival takes place every other year in Dalat and some smaller localities in Lam Dong province. Held for the purpose of exhibiting Dalat’s incredible flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants, the festival welcomes produce and products from local, regional, and even international contributors. In addition to incredible produce and traditional products from around the region and world, residential areas put on splendid flower displays, and local fairs promote further trade and tourism.
