What is Tết? The Vietnamese Lunar New Year explained

Tết is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year in Vietnam and in Vietnamese communities around the world. It marks the first day of the lunar calendar and is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, special food and wishes for luck in the year ahead.

In 2027, Tết falls on Saturday, February 6, the start of the Year of the Goat.

What does the word Tết mean?

Tết ("tet") is a short word for a festival or holiday. The full name of the Lunar New Year is Tết Nguyên Đán ("tet nwee-en dahn"), which roughly means "the festival of the first morning." When people just say Tết, they almost always mean the New Year.

Other festivals also use the word, such as Tết Trung Thu, the Mid-Autumn Festival, but none is as big.

When is Tết?

Tết begins on the first day of the first lunar month, which usually falls between late January and mid-February on the Western calendar. The date changes every year. In 2027 it is February 6; for the full list of dates around it, see when is Tết 2027.

The core celebration is the first three days, called Mùng 1, Mùng 2 and Mùng 3, but preparations start weeks earlier and the festive mood can last well into the first month.

What do people celebrate at Tết?

At its heart, Tết is about:

• Family: people travel long distances to be home with parents and grandparents.
• Ancestors: families honor those who came before with offerings at the home altar.
• A fresh start: the house is cleaned, debts are settled where possible, and quarrels are avoided.
• Luck and hope: wishes, symbols and customs all aim at a good year ahead.

If you want the deeper reasons, read why Tết is important in Vietnamese culture.

What does Tết look like?

Some of the most recognizable sights and customs:

• Blossoms: yellow hoa mai (apricot blossom) in the South and pink hoa đào (peach blossom) in the North.
• Kumquat trees (cây quất), whose golden fruit stands for abundance.
• The five-fruit tray (mâm ngũ quả) on the ancestral altar.
• Red and gold decorations, colors linked with luck and prosperity.
• Lì xì, lucky money in red envelopes for children and elders.
• New clothes, especially for children, to start the year fresh.

What food is eaten at Tết?

Tết food is rich, symbolic and often made in big batches before the holiday, since markets close for days.

• Bánh chưng in the North: a square sticky rice cake with mung bean and pork, wrapped in leaves.
• Bánh tét in the South: a cylinder-shaped version of the same idea.
• Thịt kho trứng in the South: pork and eggs braised in coconut water.
• Dưa hành: pickled shallots, a Northern favorite that cuts through rich food.
• Mứt Tết: a tray of candied fruits, seeds and coconut for guests.

Key moments of the holiday

• Ông Táo day: a week before Tết, families send off the Kitchen Gods. In 2027, that is January 30.
• Giao thừa: New Year's Eve, when the old year turns at midnight and families make offerings.
• Xông đất: the first visitor of the new year, believed to set the household's luck.
• Chúc Tết: visiting relatives, friends and teachers to exchange New Year wishes.
• Đi chùa: many people visit a pagoda early in the new year to pray for peace and luck.

For a step-by-step walk through these, see Tết traditions: from cleaning house to the first visitor.

Is Tết the same as Chinese New Year?

They share roots in the lunar calendar and many customs overlap, and they usually fall on the same day. But Tết has its own traditions, foods, greetings and beliefs. One well-known difference is the zodiac: Vietnam has a Year of the Cat where China has a Year of the Rabbit.

How do you say Happy New Year in Vietnamese?

Say Chúc mừng năm mới ("chook mung nahm moy"). It is polite, warm and works for anyone. If you are visiting a Vietnamese family, adding a small gift and wishing good health, chúc sức khỏe, is always welcome.

If you are invited to a Tết gathering, bring fruit or sweets, dress neatly and open with Chúc mừng năm mới; that is all you need to be a welcome guest.