Celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) on the spring roads.

Tourists enjoy taking photos with Hmong ethnic children in Moc Chau district ( Son La province).

Pack your bags and go celebrate Tet!

For many years now, the Tran Huy family in Nguyen Huu Cau Street (Hai Duong City) has chosen to celebrate Lunar New Year in a special way - packing their bags and traveling.

Since Tet 2023, after making sure to take care of Tet celebrations for both sides of their families, Tran Huy and his wife decided to drive a 3-day, 2-night tour (from the 2nd to the 4th day of Tet) to Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province, at the invitation of their cousin.

Celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) for the first time in a remote mountain village, Tran Huy was quite surprised to meet many families who had also come up there to celebrate. Besides Vietnamese people, there were also many young people from Europe.

Amidst the vast expanse of fields stretching out, and in the distance, the traditional stilt houses of the Thai ethnic group nestled at the foot of winding mountains, Mr. Tran Huy and his wife, along with their two young children, leisurely cycle around, participate in traditional folk games, and immerse themselves in the sounds of gongs and the distinctive dishes of the Thai people. Seeing his wife relaxed, free from the hustle and bustle of cooking, and hearing the innocent laughter of his children playing in nature, Mr. Tran Huy clearly feels the simple yet warm joy.

According to Mr. Ha Van Tien, owner of Green Homestay in Mai Chau district (Hoa Binh province), even a month before the Lunar New Year, guests were already starting to book rooms for the holiday.

For the past few years, Mr. Tien's homestay has regularly hosted Western tourists throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. Tourists spending the Tet holiday in Lac village will have the opportunity to witness and participate in the New Year customs of the Thai people there. These activities are not only novel to tourists but also provide interesting experiences as they take place amidst the peaceful, spacious village, in the characteristic spring atmosphere of Northern Vietnam.

"My family sells rooms on Booking.com, so we get quite a lot of bookings from Western tourists. They are extremely enthusiastic about the Tet celebrations of the Thai ethnic group. In recent years, many families from Hanoi , Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and other provinces have also chosen Lac village as their destination during Tet," Mr. Tien said.

Visiting highland villages during Tet (Lunar New Year), tourists will have the opportunity to participate in joyful and culturally rich New Year's festivities.

Instead of celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) for weeks as in the past, many Thai households in Lac village only celebrate for two days, the 30th and 1st day of Tet, and open their doors to customers on the 2nd day. Service fees during these days increase by about 15% compared to normal days, as a small New Year's gift for those who work during Tet.

Located 6 km from Moc Chau town, Eco House Moc Chau (La Nga 1 village, Muong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province) attracts many tourists thanks to its spacious grounds, vibrant flowers and greenery, and especially the many peach, apricot, and plum trees that bloom right during the Tet holiday.

Talking about welcoming guests during Tet (Lunar New Year), Mr. Nguyen Van Truong, owner of Eco House Moc Chau, excitedly shared: "A month before Tet, Eco House Moc Chau was almost fully booked for the 2nd to 5th day of Tet. Room rates increased by about 25% compared to normal days, but guests were still very happy because throughout the Tet holidays, Eco House Moc Chau provided food and beverage services; and many entertainment areas in Moc Chau organized activities for tourists to explore and experience."

“During Tet (Lunar New Year), the weather, plants, and scenery in Moc Chau are incredibly beautiful. What could be more enjoyable than, after a day strolling through pristine plum orchards and vibrant mustard fields, the whole family gathering in the evening to grill food over a charcoal fire? Parents and children chat and take care of each other. Even though we're not at home for Tet, the joy is still complete,” shared Thu An, a tourist who has visited and returned to Moc Chau many times.

Trends among travelers

Mountain villages are ablaze with colorful flowers when Tet (Lunar New Year) arrives and spring comes.

After celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) for the first time in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, in 2024, Mr. and Mrs. Tran Huy decided to invite both sets of grandparents to celebrate Tet away from home, with their destination being Ha Giang.

Celebrating Tet for the first time in Lo Lo Chai village (Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang) – a fairytale-like village with peaceful and beautiful houses – not only Tran Huy's family but also Tom's grandparents were very excited.

Witnessing the Tet (Lunar New Year) customs in the highlands and chatting with the Lo Lo and Mong people of Ha Giang, his family also discovered many interesting things about the cultural values ​​that the ethnic people on the rocky plateau are preserving.

Mr. Huy shared that tourist destinations in Ha Giang such as Quan Ba ​​Twin Mountains, Ma Pi Leng Peak, and Lung Cu Flagpole are quite bustling during Tet (Lunar New Year). Most of the people Mr. Huy met along the way were young families from Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Bac Ninh. Busy with work all year round, these families choose to celebrate Tet at tourist destinations instead of at home – both to enjoy the beautiful spring scenery and to have a truly relaxing and fun family vacation. Many families even said that for the past five years, they have all traveled together during Tet. For them, where they celebrate Tet isn't that important; what matters is that the family is together.

Capitalizing on the growing trend of tourists traveling far during the Lunar New Year holiday, in recent years, about three months before Tet, travel companies have started launching numerous tours departing from the 2nd to the 5th day of Tet with attractive destinations: from majestic high mountains with white blossoms of apricot and plum trees, to pristine coastal areas with unique experiential activities.

In particular, the Northwest and Northeast regions, with destinations such as Hoa Binh, Moc Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, etc., are always popular choices for tourists due to their stunning spring scenery and unique traditional festivals that only take place during the spring season.

The cost of each trip is also quite reasonable, averaging around 1,200,000 – 1,500,000 VND/day/person (if departing from Hai Duong, Hanoi, etc.), including transportation, food, accommodation, and entrance fees to tourist attractions. To meet the needs of tourists, most tourist areas only close on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), resuming normal operations on the second day with attractive entertainment activities and decorations that evoke the spirit of Tet.

Instead of celebrating Lunar New Year at home according to traditional customs, many young families are choosing to travel and celebrate the holiday far away with their families. Breaking free from conventional norms, traveling together during Tet is a fun way for people to connect with themselves, with loved ones, and with the beautiful world around them.

A study titled "Travel Trends 2025," commissioned and conducted by Booking.com on adult respondents, recently published, shows that by 2025, travel trends will undergo some changes towards a more open and positive direction – where travelers want to redefine how they experience and connect with the world around them.

HOANG MAI

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/don-tet-tren-nhung-cung-duong-xuan-402057.html