I didn't leave Ho Chi Minh City for the 4-day New Year's holiday.

New Year's Day 2026 lasts for 4 days (January 1-4), due to the swapping of Friday (January 2) to Saturday (January 10) of the following week. If you are in Ho Chi Minh City during the holiday, you can take advantage of the 4 days to explore the city.

With its vibrant pace of life, Ho Chi Minh City has no shortage of restaurants and entertainment venues offering diverse options for you to fully enjoy the New Year's holiday.

Day 1

▸ 7 AM: Sitting on the floor for coffee.

The area around 30/4 Park, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Reunification Palace is often crowded with young people sitting on the ground for coffee. Photo: Duy Hieu.

Outdoor coffee stalls have long been a cultural icon of Ho Chi Minh City: rustic, relaxed, and distinctly Ho Chi Minh City. They're also a popular early morning coffee spot for young people, where a cup of coffee blends with the sounds of traffic, laughter, and the sunshine and breeze of the city. Besides coffee, they also sell iced coffee with condensed milk, lemon tea, soft drinks, and more.

▸ 10:00 AM: Explore the complex beneath the underground metro station.

Rue Michele is the largest retail complex in Southeast Asia. Photo: Linh Huynh.

The B2 (LL2) basement level next to the City Theatre subway station entrance is where you can enjoy coffee or matcha latte at Cafe U or Starbucks. A breakfast combo at Cafe U includes bread, beef pho, or sausage sandwich served with milk coffee or black coffee for 98,000 VND.

From here, the escalator will take you to the Rue Michele retail complex located on basement level B3 (LL3). This area includes 35 fashion , perfume, and accessory brands, as well as an art exhibition space.

▸ 12 PM: Lunch with Korean food

This eatery is a popular meeting place for young people. Photo: Pacho Pocha Express.

The restaurant has a distinctive, tent-style dining experience with its striking orange color. The tables and chairs are simple, and posters of dishes and decorative details reflecting Korean culinary culture adorn the walls. The restaurant serves many casual Korean dishes (at reasonable prices). The flavors are suitable for Vietnamese tastes, but still maintain the authentic Korean style. You can order cold noodles, chicken with creamy onion sauce, or sweet and sour pork.

▸ 3 PM: Photobooth photo taken and printed onto CD

You'll have your own mini album with our photobooth disc printing service. Photo: D ế.

Photobooth photoshoots printed on CDs are becoming increasingly popular thanks to a nostalgic twist on the modern photobooth trend. After the photoshoot, your images are printed in color onto a CD. The CD cover can include your name, the date of the photoshoot, a short quote, a logo, creating a mini-album. This service offers two price options: a package for 1-2 people at 250,000 VND with 7 photos and a CD combo, and a package for 3 people at 350,000 VND with 14 photos and 2 CD combos.

▸ 6 PM: Dinner on the rooftop

You can order a budget-friendly combo meal if you're in a large group. Photo: Phuong Lam.

This classic restaurant, nestled on the rooftop, offers a fusion of Vietnamese and European dining experiences. The restaurant utilizes warm yellow lighting, and the kitchen is located opposite the dining tables, allowing you to observe the chefs at work.

The dishes feature familiar Vietnamese ingredients such as Northwestern spices, Da Lat vegetables, and Phu Yen beef, applying a blend of Asian and European cooking methods. Highlights include smoked duck breast salad, BBQ skewers, shrimp curry, and sun-dried Phu Yen beef...

▸ 0h: Watch the fireworks

Fireworks at the entrance to the Saigon River tunnel on New Year's Day 2025. Photo: Duy Hieu.

For New Year's Day 2026, Ho Chi Minh City will hold a fireworks display from 0:00 to 0:15 on January 1, 2026, at four locations. In the old Ho Chi Minh City area, the high-altitude fireworks will be launched at the entrance to the Saigon River tunnel (An Khanh ward). Additionally, you can also watch the fireworks from Bach Dang Wharf and the foot of Ba Son Bridge.

Day 2

▸ 10:00 AM: Breakfast and coffee in the furniture showroom.

A place where vibrant life intersects with elegant surroundings. Photo: Theart179.

The Art Tea Lounge blends restaurant, café, and tea lounge. The space is luxurious, with high-class interiors, and includes both indoor and outdoor seating areas. A fragrant cup of tea pairs well with Fuji beef, salmon miso soup, chicken liver pâté, and more. If you prefer something new, creative drinks like raspberry green tea tiramisu and green tea cake are guaranteed to please.

▸ 12 PM: Lunch with traditional Vietnamese dishes

Enjoying a Vietnamese meal is an ideal way to celebrate Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Photo: Quan Bui Restaurant.

The restaurant subtly blends traditional Vietnamese cuisine in a modern, Indochinese-style setting. The space is airy and elegant. The flavors are rustic yet appealing to modern young people. The menu is diverse, ranging from vegetables, soups, rice, noodles, and hot pot to familiar dishes found in home-cooked meals. Popular items include stir-fried tofu, steamed prawns, and stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms.

▸ 3 PM: Wandering the streets

City landmarks. Photo: Linh Huynh.

Beyond its towering skyscrapers, dazzling night lights, and opulent hustle and bustle, Ho Chi Minh City also impresses with its time-worn apartment complexes and historically significant architectural landmarks. If you spend a leisurely afternoon strolling through its streets, you'll discover tranquil corners within the city.

Day 3

▸ 7:00 AM: A "very Ho Chi Minh City" breakfast

You can add chili peppers, soy sauce, salt, and pepper to adjust the flavor. Photo: Lieu Lam.

The simple setting, with a few plastic tables and chairs tucked close together in a small alley, creates a cozy atmosphere, blending seamlessly into the morning rhythm of city life. The menu features street-style pan-fried bread and meat sandwiches. The pan-fried bread is a best-seller thanks to its crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on baguette-style loaf, served with a pan overflowing with pate, cold cuts, sausage, egg, and pickled vegetables.

▸ 10:00 AM: Korean-style karaoke

The playlist here is constantly updated, including newly released songs. Photo: Z Space.

The karaoke bar is designed in a youthful Korean style, with a colorful space filled with neon lights. The outdoor area features vending machines, claw crane games, and a variety of props for taking photos. The bar offers various types of rooms to suit different needs, including single rooms, rooms for 2-3 people, and rooms for 4-6 people… The rooms are equipped with sensor-based speakers and microphones for smooth sound transmission.

▸ 1 PM: Enjoy the coffee, pastry, and spa experience.

During the treatment, you will be served free pastries and drinks. Photo: Linh Huynh.

This is a coffee shop, pastry shop, and spa complex where you can choose from muscle relaxation massages, intensive skincare treatments, nail services, and hair and scalp care (headspa). Each treatment, performed by skilled technicians, lasts approximately 60-90 minutes.

The ground floor houses a bakery and café. Highlights include the Coco Mango cake and the Chocolate Teddy cake. For drinks, the cold brew with tamarind and chili flavor or the matcha latte are must-try options.

▸ 5 PM: Dinner, watch the sunset

The cafe's architecture and interior are made of wood, creating a wild yet romantic atmosphere. Photo: Rang Chieu Rooftop.

Rang Chieu Rooftop is popular with young people because of its spacious open-air rooftop, offering views of the sunset and the city lights at night. They serve fruit cocktails, beertails, and non-alcoholic drinks. You can enjoy an afternoon meal with dishes like fried kimbap, shrimp spring rolls, and squid patties from the fishing village... The drinks and food are highly rated.

▸ 8 PM: Party at the bar

Bodega Saigon is a bar that has attracted many young people recently. Photo: Linh Huynh.

Hidden behind the convenience store is Bodega Saigon – a bar with vibrant music, lighting, and the energetic vibe of young people. Here, you can find cocktails expertly crafted by bartenders using modern mixology techniques, and the menu also includes spirits, beer, and soft drinks. Especially noteworthy is Tuesday's Ladies' Night, where ladies can enjoy unlimited drinks and receive surprise gifts.

Day 4

▸ 8:00 AM: A private day of relaxation

This is an ideal staycation spot for the last day of the holiday because it has plenty of amenities. Photo: M Village.

M Village boasts a blend of classic and modern aesthetics with its vaulted architecture and vibrant, youthful color palette. Most rooms feature balconies and windows offering views of tree-lined streets and parks. The predominantly pastel color scheme in each room, along with light wood finishes, creates a comfortable and inviting atmosphere, making you feel right at home.

The room amenities are basic but decent, though the space is quite small, making it unsuitable for those seeking a truly relaxing environment. The service is reliable but lacks flexibility, sometimes feeling robotic and lacking personal interaction.

Source: https://znews.vn/4-ngay-nghi-tet-duong-lich-khong-roi-tphcm-post1614321.html