Yearly festivals in Vietnam

With many activities taking place such as singing and dancing, boat racing, street parades, etc., creating special features for festivals in Vietnam.

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1.Tet Festival (Lunar New Year)

12-15 February 2021 (Lunar 1 Jan every year)

Nationwide, Vietnam

This is the biggest national holiday, and can be compared to Christmas in Europe. Most of 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 special cuisine and deeply cleaning the house.

2. Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival

9-15 Feb 2021

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

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.

2. Roong Pooc Festival

25 - 26 January

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.

4. Giong Festival at Soc Temple (an Unesco Heritage)

19-20 May 2021 (9 &10 Lunar April every year)

Hanoi, Vietnam

Giong Festival is annually celebrated in spring time 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, which have been recognized by UNESCO as pieces of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

5. Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival

18 February 2021

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.

6. Perfume Pagoda Festival

26 Feb 2021

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 both human and natural creation. Several activities dominate the festival at its three venues in Huong Tich, Tuyet Son and Long Van.

7. Yen Tu Festival

 21 Feb 2021 - 11 May 2021

 Yen Tu Mountain, Quang Ninh, Vietnam

The lofty Yen Tu pagoda complex used to be the center of Buddhism in Vietnam in the 11th century, and also boasts the origin of the Buddhist sect Truc Lam. Thousands of visitors come to Yen Tu after Lunar New Year to pray for luck and health in the New Year. They believe that if they can climb to the top of Yen Tu Mountain, they’ll gain even more good over the year.

8. Lim Festival

24 Feb 2021 (Lunar 13 Jan every year)

Bac Ninh, Vietnam

The Lim Festival is held in Lim village, 18 kilometers outside Hanoi. Lim Village is the hometown (and performance grounds) of Quan Ho (/kwan hʌ/), a special kind of folk song and one of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. Thousands of visitors come here to enjoy the “love dialogue” performances between lien anh (male singers) and lien chi (female singers), the country’s most skilled Quan Ho singers.

9. Tet Nguyen Tieu (Lantern Festival)

26 February 2021 (Lunar 15 Jan every year)

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.

10. Phu Day Festival

14-19 April 2021 ( Lunar 3 March every year)

Nam Dinh, Vietnam

The Phu Day temple, located about 55 kilometers East of Hanoi, was built to pay tribute to Lieu Hanh, a princess who died at a young age in the 16th century, and was later considered to be one of the mythical “four immortal gods” in Vietnamese culture, much like Saint Giong. Another piece of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, this festival is a center of belief for the worship Mother Goddesses. Chanting, singing, and even spiritual trances make this an incredible sight to behold.

11. Hung King Temple Festival

10-11 April 2021 ( Lunar 10 March evey year)

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 3 days. Banh Day Cakes (round sticky rice cakes) are served to remind people how the Hung Kings taught people to grow rice, as well as the Lang Lieu Legend: that of the 18th Hung King, who invented the cakes.

12. Ba Chua Xu Festival

3-7 June 2021

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 madarin served under Nguyen Dynasty and recognized by his faithful service).

13. Hue Festival

01 - 06 April 2021

Hue, Vietnam

One of the most anticipated cultural events in Vietnam, the 11th Hue Festival invites travelers from all over the world to experience the unique heritage of Vietnam’s former imperial city. Elaborate performances will be staged at historical venues around Hue, including the Hue Citadel and An Dinh Palace. During the six-day festival there will also be street parades, sampan racing, a cuisine fair, performances from international artists from five continents and much more to look forward to.

14. Danang International Fireworks Festival

01-07 June 2021

Danang, Vietnam

Danang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF), held for the first time in 2008, gradually became an annual event and major tourist attraction. Teams from all over the world, from Portugal to Poland, compete against each other and offer a wonderful spectacle to locals and visitors. With intense preparation, each display is not only a masterpiece of sound and light, but also an artistic show, illustrating the competing countries world-class skills against the beautiful backdrop of Vietnam’s ‘Bridge City.’

15. Tet Doan Ngo (Mid-year festival or Duanwu Festival)

14 June 2021 ( Lunar 5 May every year)

Nationwide, Vietnam

Tet Doan Ngo, also known as Chinese Duanwu, is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month – the “middle day of summer”. Traditional dumpling-eating, especially “ash-water” dumplings, extends from the belief that these dumplings cleanse one’s body of any unwanted “parasites” or “worms”, just like the land.

16. Ooc Om Boc Festival

18 Nov 2021

Soc Trang & Tra Vinh, Vietnam

Ooc Om Boc (or Ok Om Bok) is one of the three biggest festivals among the ethnic Khmer community, especially those in the Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces. Originally, the festival involved worshipping the moon, giving thanks for good harvests, as well as praying for future, abundant harvests. Also, according to Khmer custom, the tenth Lunar month is considered the end of the year; hence, the festival’s purpose is to celebrate a new year in the Khmer calendar.

17. Chol Chnam Thmay Festival

14-16 April 2021

An Giang, Vietnam

This holiday is the New Year festival in ancient calendar of Khmer people. Held in mid-April, the festival occurs in 3 days (4 days for leap year).People prepare new clothes, food and drinks for whole festival days. They also repair, clean and decorate their house. Everyone is excited to care for holiday.

This holiday is also called Chol Chnam Thmay (or Chaul Chnam Thmay). It is the New Year festival in ancient calendar of Khmer people. Held in mid-April, the festival occurs in 3 days (4 days for leap year). Each festival day has a different name: The first day is named “Moha Songkran” (or Chol sangkran Chmay); the second day is named “Wanabat” (or Wonbof); the third day is named “Tngai Laeung Saka” (or Lom Sak); the fourth day (only in leap years) is also named Wonbof. In this holiday, people usually visit each other, wish each other fortune, health, prosperity and join many fun games together.

18. Mid-Autumn Festival

21 September 2021 ( Lunar 15 August every year)

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 get to enjoy lion dances, delicious moon cakes, fruits, and presents from their parents. The streets come alive with both professional and non-professional lion dances, lanterns, and excited laughter from children all over the country.

19. Dalat Flower Festival

23 - 27 December 2021

Dalat, Vietnam

Dalat Flower Festival takes place every other year in Dalat, as well as 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.

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