Vietnam Festivals: Exploring Vietnam’s Top Cultural Festivals

Tết (Vietnamese new year)

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Tết (Tet) or Tết Nguyên Đán (Tet Nguyen Dan) is Vietnam’s most important and cherished festival, celebrating the lunar new year. It’s a time for families to gather, reconnect with loved ones, and visit friends and neighbors. Traditional dishes are lovingly prepared and placed on ancestral altars as a gesture of gratitude to our ancestors. Vietnamese people also exchange heartfelt wishes for a peaceful and prosperous new year.

The Vietnamese Tet is celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar. However, Vietnamese people believe that before the official Tet day, everything must be prepared early and new, hoping for a lucky and successful start to the new year. Therefore, Tet preparations typically begin a week in advance, starting from the Kitchen Gods’ Day on 23rd of December (Lunar calendar). This is considered the first event heralding another Tet season.

Hùng Kings’ festival

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The Hùng Kings’ Festival is one of the largest traditional festivals in Vietnam, held annually in Phú Thọ Province. The festival takes place from the 1st to the 10th of the 3rd lunar month to commemorate the legendary founders of the nation, the 18 Hung Kings. It is a significant cultural event that unites all Vietnamese people, reminding them of their roots and ancestors while fostering a sense of national unity.

During the festival, millions of people from all over Vietnam flock to the Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho to offer incense and pay their respects to their ancestors. The festival also features a variety of traditional folk performances.

Trung thu (Mid-autumn festival)

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The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which usually falls in September or October. It is one of the most important festivals in Vietnam, and is especially beloved by children.

On this day, children are treated to a variety of gifts and toys by their parents and relatives. They also participate in fun activities such as lantern processions, lion dances, and enjoy a variety of delicious mooncakes and other treats.

Perfume pagoda festival

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The Perfume Pagoda Festival is one of the largest and most important religious festivals in Vietnam. It takes place annually from the first month to the third month of the lunar calendar (usually in February or March) at the Perfume Pagoda (Chùa Hương), a complex of Buddhist temples and shrines located in the Hương Sơn mountains, about 70 kilometers from Hanoi.

The festival attracts lots of people from all over Vietnam who come to pay homage to the Buddha and pray for good fortune. The journey to the Perfume Pagoda can be tough, but it’s worth it. You have to hike through the mountains for a while and then take a boat ride on the beautiful Yên River.