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14 unmissable festivals in Vietnam for 2025
Tet Nguyen Dan, Buddha’s Birthday, Lim Festival, and the Perfume Pagoda Festival are iconic festivals in Vietnam. Find out when and how to experience these.
While Vietnam uses the Gregorian calendar, the country celebrates its festivals based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. These are closely related to colorful, high-energy activities throughout the year, but there’s more behind each festival.
In joining these celebrations, you dive headfirst into local legends, deities, and traditions that have shaped Vietnamese culture. If you plan to visit the country soon, why not visit during one of the main festivals?
That’s why we’ve prepared a list of 14 unmissable festivals in Vietnam for 2025 for you to prepare to live a unique experience.
1. Tet Nguyen Dan, Lunar New Year
2025 date: From 29 January to 2 February, 1st-3rd day of the 1st Lunar Month
The Tet Nguyen Dan, or the Lunar New Year, is Vietnam’s most important festival and holiday. Throughout this festival, schools, factories, and most businesses are closed, allowing locals to be with their loved ones as the family union is one of its integral aspects.
Tet Nguyen Dan is the ideal occasion for travelers to try Vietnamese cuisine, look at decorated houses, connect with the local culture by visiting nearby pagodas and other temples to pray for the upcoming Lunar Year, or simply greet other locals to wish them luck.
The festival is celebrated across the country, allowing you to join the traditional activities from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh.
2. Mid-Autumn (Full Moon) Festival
2025 date: 17 September, the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month
Children are the stars of the Mid-Autumn Festival. They carry bright lanterns and eat their weight in mooncakes – a tradition you as a tourist can also partake in!
Preparations for this festival, also known as the Full Moon Festival, take place weeks beforehand to ensure an awe-inspiring experience. The streets of Hanoi or the Hoi An ancient town are ideal locations to experience various activities, such as watching lion dancers or locals using colorful masks for the main event, carrying colorful lanterns, and of course eating delicious mooncakes.
3. Hung King Temple Festival
2025 date: 7 April, the 3rd Lunar Month
The Hung King Temple Festival is mostly held in Phu Tho Province, an hour’s drive from Hanoi. Still, it is also celebrated throughout the country as travelers and locals visit Hung King Temples all around Vietnam.
This festival celebrates the importance of the 18 Hung Kings, the first emperors and founders of Vietnam. Although visiting the temples, which have outstanding palanquin processing and offerings, is an interesting experience, there are other activities, such as games, bamboo swings, and even rice cooking competitions, to ensure the whole family stays entertained.
4. Huế Festival and Huế Craft Village Festival
2025 date: 1st week of April, the 3rd Lunar Month
Home to the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, Huế now hosts one of the most important musical festivals in Vietnam every two years.
Huế is located in a UNESCO Heritage Site, so there is an abundance of beauty and history to take in all year round. But it’s during the festival that the town truly comes to life.
The Huế Poetry Festival, the Aoi Dai Fashion shows, drums and percussion shows, boat racing, street performances, and many other activities will set the stage for a unique experience. Local crafting is also a part of the festival, making it the perfect time to take a souvenir back home.
5. Lim Festival
2025 date: From 31 January to 2 February, the 1st Lunar Month
The Lim Festival is one of the best ways to connect with local traditions and learn about Vietnamese culture.
While many activities exist, the main celebration is the Quan Ho Singing, a folk song by local men and women dressed in traditional Vietnamese costumes.
But the culture of the Red River Delta goes beyond songs, offering a range of traditional contact sports such as bamboo fighting, wrestling, or trying local games such as tug-of-war.
6. Perfume Pagoda Festival
2025 date: From 30 January to 20 April, 1st to 3rd Lunar Month
As one of the most traditional festivals in Vietnam, the Perfume Pagoda Festival in Hanoi, can’t be left aside.
The Perfume Pagoda is the country’s most important pilgrimage site, attracting worldwide visitors each year. Tourists and locals walk through the Vietnamese mountains, nearby rice fields, and limestone caves during the festival.
Once you’ve arrived at the pagoda, you can climb to the top through the 120-step stone stairways or go for an easy ride on the cable car.
Watching the beautiful garlands, candles, and gold used to decorate the Perfume Pagoda is the first thing to do once you reach the top. You can also follow local customs and pray while touching the mountain to get a healthy son or daughter, or touch the silver or gold trees on the limestone caves for wealth and prosperity.
7. Phu Giay Festival
2025 date: From late April to early May, 3rd and 4th Lunar Months
Another unmissable festival in Vietnam is the Phu Giay Festival, celebrated in honor of Mother Saint Lieu Hanh.
This festival occurs one hour from Hanoi in the Nam Dinh province, at Phu Giay Temple. The festival features cultural activities, local games, and other customs.
The one thing you can’t miss is the locals dressed in traditional costumes carrying ornate bamboo relics and playing traditional music.
8. Xến Xó Phốn Festival
2025 date: During May, the 4th Lunar Month
Xến Xó Phốn is a central moment on the calendar of the Tai Dón, or White Thai, people. Situated in the Mai Châu, the festival acts as a ritual to call for rain.
During the Xến Xó Phốn Festival, locals sing and perform various songs while collecting offerings throughout the village. According to local legends, the bigger the participation, the heavier the rain.
9. Ghost Festival or Wandering Souls Day
2025 date: 18 August, the 15th day of the 7th Lunar Month
The Wandering Souls Day, or Ghost Festival, is one of the most celebrated ancient festivals in Vietnam, as locals believe the spirits of their ancestors return to their once-were homes for a small period of time.
During this festival, which has Buddhist roots, locals visit local temples and offer their loved ones their favorite foods and treats. The night before, families gather on their ancestor’s graves to pray or leave flowers and fruits as a signal of respect. Also, paper money and clothes are burned during this festival.
While the festival might seem a bit off-putting to tourists, Wandering Souls Day is a unique moment to connect with ancient Vietnamese tradition.
10. Independence Day
2025 date: 2 September
Leaving the Lunar Calendar aside, let’s discuss one of the most important festivals of modern Vietnam: Independence Day.
Independence Day is celebrated every year on 2 September in Vietnam, which is one of the best times to visit Vietnam. The best way to experience it is by visiting major cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. During the day, parades are held, and fireworks are seen in the night sky.
Independence Day is also an open celebration, meaning visitors can participate in parades, customs, and other activities locals enjoy.
11. Tet Han Thuc
2025 date: 31 March, 3rd Lunar Month
Ten Han Tuc, also known as the Cold Food Festival, is one of the most unique festivals in Vietnam. It is celebrated in honor of Jie Zhitui.
The festival dates back to the 7th century B.C., when the loyal servant of the Duke of Quin, Jin, decided to retreat to the woods with his mother because of the Duke’s decisions toward his people.
The Duke then decided to light Jin’s house on fire as a way for him to go back to town. When Jun arrived, he decided to stay in the burning house, where he died as a consequence of the fire.
Because of Jin’s passing, the Duke decided to celebrate a festival where all kinds of fire lighting were banned for a day, and it’s now known as the Cold Food Festival, where locals and travelers can try all types of cold food.
12. Buddha’s Birthday
2025 date: 1st week of May, the 4th Lunar Month
As Vietnam is mostly a Buddhist country, this festival takes place all over the country and is one of the most important religious festivals in Vietnam.
During Buddha’s Birthday, temples throughout the country are decorated lavishly with statues and lanterns. Locals bring offerings of local dishes, fruits, and flower garlands to honor this deity while celebrating his birth, enlightenment, and death.
For a unique experience, it’s better to visit places like the Quan Su Pagoda, the Tran Hung Dao ward, Hanoi, the Hoan Kiem district, or Quan Su Street, as these are considered the most iconic places for celebrating Buddha’s Birthday.
That’s not all, as, during this celebration, attendees participate in different charity activities, like helping elders and sick people or simply paying a prayer to Buddha.
13. Hoi An Lantern Festival
2025 date: Every month, during the 14th day of the Lunar Month
Those planning to visit Hoi An should consider doing so during the Lantern Festival.
During this festival, there will be a unique display of lanterns of different shapes, colors, and sizes throughout Hoi An’s old town. At the same time, local restaurants, bars, and other shops will stop using electricity and join the celebration by lighting up their spaces with candles.
The idea of this festival is to connect ancient traditions with the brightest point of the moon, creating a unique scenario with a beautiful moon in the sky and colorful lanterns floating around Hoi An.
14. Giong Festival
2025 date: From 29 to 31 January, the 1st Lunar Month
The Giong Festival takes place during springtime to commemorate Saint Giong, one of the four Vietnamese immortals in the country’s history.
The festival’s main point is the Phu Doing Temple in Hanoi, but it’s also held in other temples around the city, like the Soc Temple. During the festival, locals perform different activities, such as ceremonies, processions, offerings, and cleaning the Saint Giong statue.
While locals lead the customs, visitors can participate in local games, sing traditional folk songs, pray among locals for a happy life, or simply learn more about the history behind Saint Giong.
Also, one important thing is that the Giong Festival is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival because of its significance in Vietnamese culture.
Stay connected during the best festivals in Vietnam
Once you’re at the festivals, there are different reasons why mobile internet in Vietnam becomes a must-have. Speaking with locals while using Google Translator, uploading photos and videos to social media, or moving around the bustling streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are important reasons for staying connected.
To do so, one of the best and most accessible options is using an eSIM for Vietnam. These offer travelers a hassle-free internet connection and are easy to purchase before traveling.
The best eSIM for Vietnam comes from Holafly, which offers visitors unlimited data plans starting at $5.90 and can reach as low as $1.54 USD/day. Plus, there are additional features like data sharing, high-end support in 19 languages, easy activation on iOS and Android, and up to 5G speeds!
Experience Vietnam's festivals with Holafly
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I first started my content creation journey as a freelancer in 2019, before connecting with Holafly in 2021. At Holafly, my travel and tech interests come together in one place as I craft high-quality articles about the eSIM and related markets. My content aims to help travelers stay connected, wherever they are.
