Foreign tourists are fascinated by the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Excited to celebrate and enjoy the Vietnamese New Year!

The street of calligraphers in Ho Chi Minh City attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists during the Lunar New Year.

Mr. Didier B. Boissonnet (French nationality) said this is his second year staying to experience the traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year and he is truly "enchanted" by the Vietnamese New Year atmosphere. He recounted that six years ago, after retiring, he and a group of friends traveled to Vietnam, fell in love with the country, and this year he stayed to celebrate Tet again.

“We chose Vietnam as our first destination when traveling to Asia right after the Covid-19 pandemic. Then, the scenery, climate, food, and people here were so captivating that I returned to Vietnam a second, third time… As the Vietnamese say, it was destiny or fate. Three years ago, I fell in love with the coastal city of Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa ), and I consider it my second home. Last year, I stayed to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) with my wife's family in Khanh Hoa, and I prepared everything meticulously, from flowers and banh chung (traditional rice cakes) to decorating the house… This year, I'll also be in Vietnam, but I'll be traveling. We'll go to Hoi An, Hue, Quang Tri… places with many traditional Vietnamese folk activities during Tet to experience. For example, the boat racing festival, the wrestling festival in Sinh village, playing bài chòi (a traditional Vietnamese game) in Hoi An, the Thanh Toan tiled bridge…”, despite his incomplete Vietnamese, occasionally interspersed with English sentences, Mr. Boissonnet still made us clearly feel his excitement when mentioning the festivals. in central Vietnam that he wanted to see.

Tourists experience the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) cultural atmosphere at Ba Na Hills.

Mr. and Mrs. Boissonnet are renting an apartment near Dam Market (Nha Trang), where Mr. Boissonnet has many French friends living in the coastal city. Therefore, the family will prepare some traditional French and Vietnamese dishes such as foie gras, seafood, banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake), pickled onions, and wine… to host a New Year's Eve party. Afterwards, the couple will take a train to Da Nang , Hoi An, and Hue to experience Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in different places.

For foreigners who have lived in Vietnam for many years, the feeling about Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) is no different from that of Vietnamese people. It's the hustle and bustle, yet the excitement, in the days leading up to Tet. Mr. Chinoros Benjachavakul (Vietnamese name: Nguyen Ba Ty), Human Resources Director of CP Vietnam, shared that in his 20 years living in Vietnam, the number of times he's stayed to celebrate Vietnamese Tet can be counted on one hand. This year, due to his mother's poor health, he wants to spend as much time with her as possible, so he will return to Thailand for the Tet holidays. But he is enjoying Vietnamese Tet to the fullest, because for him, Vietnamese Tet is the days leading up to Tet, right now.

“My Vietnamese Tet (Lunar New Year) usually starts a little early, with activities like giving Tet gifts to the poor and those in difficult circumstances. That's a very important activity for the company. During Tet itself, if I'm in Vietnam, I go to temples, stroll along Nguyen Hue flower street to watch people celebrating the spring, and capture many beautiful moments that only happen during the Tet holidays. I really enjoy the spring atmosphere at the flower streets in Vietnam. Alongside that is the serene and peaceful atmosphere at the temples. I often visit Vietnamese temples during Tet. Those places always give us energy to start a new year with the most luck and peace,” he said.

Khov MengLay (20 years old), a Cambodian student studying abroad, just finished his last Vietnamese language class before the Lunar New Year holiday. This is the second year Khov MengLay has celebrated Tet in Ho Chi Minh City with his foster parents' family in Nha Be District. “I really love Vietnamese Tet. Everywhere feels so joyful. The streets are beautifully decorated and spacious, with less traffic than usual. This time, I have a break from school, giving me plenty of time to visit my foster parents and hang out with my Vietnamese friends. We chat and eat Vietnamese food together. What I like most is that when people visit, they exchange good wishes and give each other lucky money. In Cambodia, the Khmer New Year falls in April, and people usually go to temples and give money to the elderly. In Vietnam, both children and adults like us receive lucky money. I hope to have the opportunity to visit many other places to experience the Tet atmosphere in different regions of Vietnam,” the young Cambodian shared.

Many foreign tourists travel and stay to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year as a delightful experience.

Lao student Yaovapha is also excitedly counting down the days until the Lunar New Year holiday. Celebrating the Vietnamese New Year in 2024 for the first time with the Lao Student Association in Ho Chi Minh City, Yaovapha fully enjoyed the vibrant city of Ho Chi Minh City by participating in various recreational activities at many popular tourist destinations: visiting flower streets, taking New Year photos, experiencing city tours… The extended holiday has given young Lao people the opportunity to discover many more interesting things in Vietnam's most dynamic economic center.

“In my opinion, the Vietnamese New Year is a fascinating tradition. The traditional Vietnamese New Year has many differences from the Lao New Year. In Ho Chi Minh City, you normally only feel the hustle and bustle, but during Tet, people gather together, eat, drink, and have fun, creating a very warm and affectionate atmosphere. The warmth, peace, meaningful wishes, gifts, and lucky money given by Vietnamese people during Tet truly impressed me. I especially like banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) because it tastes similar to the banh chung in Laos, making me feel like I'm back home,” Yaovapha happily said.

More and more Western tourists are becoming fascinated with the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Mr. Didier B. Boissonnet commented that the vibrant yet warm atmosphere, especially the Vietnamese people's respect for traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) through meticulous decorations, created curiosity and a desire for tourists to explore. “Not only during the Lunar New Year, but also during the recent Gregorian New Year, many places in Vietnam organized elaborate celebrations to welcome foreign visitors. In Nha Trang, for the first time, I saw a performance by world-renowned DJ and music producer Alan Walker. Vietnam is doing a great job of creating something new and youthful to attract tourists,” Mr. Boissonnet added.

As one of the leading tour operators promoting the "Westerners celebrating Vietnamese Tet" trend for many years, Vietluxtour has observed that many European markets, especially Poland, are "enamored" with the Vietnamese Tet holiday. Polish tourists particularly enjoy traveling to Vietnam, with its various sightseeing and relaxation activities in famous coastal areas, its culinary delights, and its diverse, unique, and distinct regional cultures in the South, Central, and North. They especially love Vietnam's beaches for their beauty and warm sunshine. Vietluxtour typically experiences its peak season for Polish tourists from October to March of the following year.

Vietnam is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign tourists due to its rich culture and beautiful scenery. (In the photo: Foreign tourists visiting the Temple of Literature (Hanoi) during the Lunar New Year 2024)

Mr. Tran The Dung, General Director of Vietluxtour, said that as soon as new information about the short-term visa exemption policy for tourists from Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland was released, Vietluxtour coordinated with partners to refresh its products and update new preferential policies for partners and customers. The company is busy preparing all services to welcome a group of nearly 100 Polish tourists to Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) from January 20th onwards. This is the longest Indochina tour (8 days), traveling from Thailand through Cambodia and then to Vietnam. After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, the Polish tourists will go to My Tho, then to Phan Thiet for a 4-day vacation.

On this trip, passengers will participate in Vietluxtour's "Westerners Celebrate Vietnamese Tet" tour, experiencing traditional Vietnamese Tet culture such as enjoying Tet dishes like banh tet, banh chung, braised pork, pickled onions, and receiving lucky money. In previous years, Vietluxtour has received very positive feedback from tourists after their Tet experiences in Vietnam, so the company maintains this activity annually to increase the diversity and uniqueness of its products and give foreign tourists beautiful impressions of Vietnamese culture.

“This Lunar New Year, in addition to the trend of choosing tours and experiences covering all three regions of Vietnam, we have noticed that tourists are also gravitating towards relaxation products with high-end services. Besides all-inclusive tours, many tourists prefer open-ended, customized tours (F&E, optional tours) designed to cater to specific groups, especially overseas Vietnamese,” Mr. Tran The Dung commented.

Representatives from Sun Group also noted a trend of foreign tourists celebrating Lunar New Year in Vietnam over the past two years. This is especially true for markets like South Korea, China, and Taiwan – countries that celebrate Lunar New Year similarly to Vietnam. They choose Da Nang and Phu Quoc for their spring holiday due to direct flights, ease of travel, and short flight times. It is predicted that the number of tourists from these markets visiting Sun Group's destinations in Da Nang and Phu Quoc will increase compared to last year due to the increase in international flights.

“In Phu Quoc, while last year there were only about 8 international flights arriving and departing each day at this time, this has now increased to 25-28 flights per day. Popular recreational activities in Phu Quoc include watching nightly fireworks, visiting the seaside night market, attending world-class shows like Kiss of the Sea and Symphony of the Sea, or riding the world's longest three-wire cable car to Hon Thom Island. Meanwhile, in Da Nang, during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake 2025, from January 27th to February 2nd, an estimated 449 international flights are expected to land at Da Nang airport. Sun World Ba Na Hills remains a popular destination, especially with its tulip festival during this Tet holiday,” a representative from Sun Group cited as an example.

Foreign tourists visit the Tet flower market at 23 September Park (Ho Chi Minh City) in 2024.

A wide variety of destinations for tourists to admire and experience.

Meanwhile, with forecasts indicating a significant increase in international visitors during this year's Lunar New Year compared to last year's Year of the Dragon, destinations are also increasing their workforce and developing numerous programs to offer unique experiences only available during the holiday season. Many traditional festivals, folk events, and distinctive cultural activities are being meticulously prepared by various localities to welcome visitors.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Hue Flower Street, themed "A Land of Splendor and Harmony in Spring," will be a vibrant space filled with colorful flowers and unique displays from January 27th to February 2nd (28th of the 12th lunar month to the 5th day of the 1st lunar month). This is a familiar destination attracting millions of visitors every year. District 8, in particular, stands out with its unique "on the docks, under the boats" flower market. For many years, it has been an ideal meeting point for unique ornamental plants and fruits from the Mekong Delta, Central Vietnam, and even the Northwest. It's also a cultural destination with activities such as art performances on boats, hands-on experiences making banh tet (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), and admiring artworks made from flowers and fruits.

Heading to the Southeast region, Tay Ninh province welcomes tourists from all over with the Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival and over 115,000 blooming tulip bulbs. In Phu Quoc, New Year's Eve will feature three fireworks displays, world-class shows in Sunset Town, the opportunity to enjoy special craft beer produced in Phu Quoc, and lively performances at Sun Bavaria GastroPub restaurant, experience the culinary delights at the Vui Phet coastal night market, and take a 3-cable cable car ride to Hon Thom Island. Just before the Lunar New Year, Sun Group launched two new products: the Phu Quoc Brewhouse craft brewery in Sunset Town and the Ciao Beach club on Hon Thom Island.

Heading north, stopping in central Vietnam, Da Nang – one of the most popular destinations for international tourists during Tet – is also hosting a series of events to welcome visitors from all over. Highlights include the tulip festival with 36,000 flowers at Sun World Ba Na Hills; a Tet market featuring regional specialties; and opportunities to participate in making banh chung and banh tet (traditional Tet cakes) and pray for a peaceful new year at Linh Ung Pagoda. In Danang Downtown, visitors can enjoy a lively Tet festival with traditional Vietnamese costumes and experience folk activities such as receiving calligraphy from a calligrapher. At Bien Dong Park (Ngu Hanh Son District), a reenactment themed "Traditional Tet Flavors, Modern Spring Colors" is underway. There, visitors can find images of their grandmother's old house, a bustling rural market with buyers and sellers, and traditional Tet activities like making banh in (traditional Tet cakes), jams, and wrapping banh tet and banh chung.

Foreign tourists on a trip to explore Marble Mountains (Da Nang) during the 2025 New Year holiday.

Located 100 km from Da Nang, visitors can travel to Hue to enjoy the cool climate of the region. This is Hue's first year as a centrally governed city. With its rich cultural activities and festivals, visitors to Hue during this time can also enjoy and participate in unique spring activities in the places they visit. From the National Education Monument Square with the city's large spring festival, this year Hue City will use approximately 2,500 firecrackers to create a high-altitude fireworks display starting from the city center and spreading to three major locations: the mountainous district of A Luoi, Phong Dien town, and Phu Loc district. This year, on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), Hue will offer free entry to historical sites from the Imperial Citadel to the tombs and temples.

Equally vibrant, in the capital city of Hanoi, historical sites and attractions managed by the city also remain open to visitors throughout the Tet holiday, with unique and attractive exhibitions and displays. The outskirts of Hanoi, such as Me Linh, feature a dazzling flower festival; tours to famous flower villages like Hong Van (Thuong Tin District), Phu Dong (Gia Lam District), Quang Phu Cau incense stick village (Ung Hoa District), and Bat Trang pottery village are excellent choices for those wishing to experience the traditional Tet atmosphere.

Impressive destinations for the Lunar New Year of the Snake are ready to welcome visitors. The Lunar New Year is also an opportunity for visitors from afar to learn about the rich cultural heritage of the Vietnamese people.

While South Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese tourists choose Vietnam due to direct flights, short flight times, and similar Tet customs, tourists from Europe, America, and Australia choose to travel to Vietnam during the traditional Tet holiday to explore the rich cultural identity of the Vietnamese people and enjoy a unique spring festival atmosphere that they don't experience in their own countries. In particular, Tet coincides with the time when destinations in the South, such as Phu Quoc and Tay Ninh, are at their most beautiful, with warm weather, making it ideal for tourism.

Representative of Sun Group

The new visa policy will allow partners to confidently boost sales right up to the departure date, which is very suitable for charter flights, bringing a vibrant Lunar New Year season to Vietnam's tourism industry. This is also one of the important factors helping businesses stimulate demand from markets such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, etc., in the coming time.

Mr. Tran The Dung , General Director of Vietluxtour

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-tay-me-tet-ta-185250118231422285.htm