Do you have plans to visit Vietnam January, February – the first months of 2020? If you do, you might have expected to join one of the biggest holidays of Vietnamese people, right? So let me help you to have more details about this special holiday so that you can create the most suitable plan for you and your loved one!

2020 Vietnamese Tet Holiday – a year of “mouse”

In Vietnam, the calendar is made according to the regular cycles of change of the Moon. Because of the use of the lunar calendar, the exact dates of a new year always change from year to year. Each year is “maintained” by one of the twelve animals.

According to the zodiac of the Vietnamese people, the first is the Mouse (Ty), then the Buffalo (Ox) and then in the order of the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Cat, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig. Among these zodiacs, the Dragon is a mythical animal and the Rat, Tiger, Snake and Monkey are wild animals and often avoid meeting people and the remaining seven are domestic pets. Each year will carry the symbol of an animals, when it reach the final zodiac, it will come back to the first one like a circle. 

2019 marks the last one of the circle, which is The Pig. Therefore, 2020 is the year of the Rat (mouse). The mouse is the animal head of the twelve animals, symbolizing witty, creative, and curious personality traits

The exact time of Vietnamese Tet Holiday 2020

Lunar New Year holidays of 2020 will last 7 days, from January 23rd , 2020 to  January 29th , 2020 ( which means according to the lunar calendar, will falls from the 29th day of the 12th month to the 5th of the first month of 2020)

How is the weather during 2020 Tet holiday?

In the North

According to the forecast of the National Hydrometeorological Forecast Center, the weather of the Lunar New Year 2019 in the northern provinces will not be very cold and freezing despite the cold air in the morning of the New Year.

It was cold in the morning with light spring drizzles. The average night and early morning temperatures fluctuate between 17 degrees and 19 degrees and will not exceed 24 degrees during the day.

In the early days of the new year must say that the weather is quite supportive for Tet activities. It is still cool with early morning fog, light rain at night and morning, light sunshine at noon. The atmosphere is very suitable for spring travel.

In the central region

The week before Tet, the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien Hue will be affected by prolonged scattered showers. Especially from the 26th onwards there will be thunderstorms in many places. It was cold, the mist was early in the morning. However, it will be sunny and warmer in the afternoon.

Provinces from Da Nang to Binh Thuan: there will be scattered rain and thunderstorms across the region.

During Tet and after Tet, the central region still maintains with some rains, but the temperature might increase. The rains will not affect too much on the schedule of your Tet holiday activities because they are not heavy, consecutive rains.

In the South

The weather is expected to be very warm, early in the morning it will be a little cool. The average temperature varies from 33 degrees to 35 degrees C. If compared to previous years, the south is not too hot. Moreover, in the spring days, the south is hardly affected by rain.

What kind of activities to join during Vietnamese Tet Holiday 2020?

If you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam during Tet holiday this year, these following activities are suggested not to be missed:

• Visiting Northwest provinces to watch the whole beautiful Muong Hoa valley, breathe the jubilant spring atmosphere on the roof of Indochina. You can also attend traditional festivals or upland spring markets to enjoy delicious food that is sometimes not available on weekdays.
• Going to the pagodas or the churches: Many visitors tend to choose spiritual destinations such as pagodas and temples to pray for health, peace and luck in the new age. Therefore, coming to these spiritual places, you can witness and experience the real sense of Tet atmosphere. In the north, Trang An – Bai Dinh is an extremely suitable Lunar New Year tourist destination. There is also Bai Dinh pagoda – one of the sacred temples full of attractions for tourists, a very reasonable destination for temple worship, wishing a peaceful new year in the air of heaven and earth in the spring.

• Taking part in Vietnamese New Year Festival. This is an annual activity of the Youth Cultural House carried out over the past 14 years, with many activities to welcome the spring imbued with national cultural identity: Mai Vang Street, Ong Ong Street, Lion Dragon Dance, folk games, art shows … attracted thousands of participants.

Tet Vietnamese Canh Ty 2020 will take place from 9 – 29/01/2020 (aimed at 15 December to 5 th of Lunar New Year) at Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House with many changes in layout and content.

• Flower-road event on the Tet holiday in Da Nang : Spring is a season for flower to bloom and “show off” their beauty. In the city by the Han River, the Da Nang Flower Street is the most popular place for residents and visitors in the New Year. So if you are the one who love flower or beauty, you should come to Da Nang during Tet to witness the charming beauty of various kinds of flowers. You can go with family and friends to take spring trips and take pictures of spring memories.
• Visiting Hoi An to join annual big lantern festival. This can bring you an exceptional experience during Tet with the streets full of colorful and gorgeous lanterns and many other traditional products.

What to note?

• You should book ahead all the travel services like flight tickets or accommodation because Tet is also a peak season of travel, when family members often gather and go travelling together.
• According to local belief, the first day of Lunar New Year is very important. It is said to decide how all he following days of the year will be, so they are very careful with all their behaviors on this day, and you should also notice that, too.
• Vietnamese cuisine during Tet holiday is one of a kind. So you should not ignore food specialties of Tet holiday like pork sausages, pickled onions, jams, candied fruits, etc.  Whatever you do, you should seek for a chance to enjoy a meal at Tet with a Vietnamese family or try cooking and making traditional dishes like Banh Chung or Spring rolls.

We hope that our information about Tet holiday in 2020 will not only be helpful but also appealing enough to make you plan a trip to visit Vietnam this Tet holiday. Believe me, it’s worth trying!