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Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar and usually has the date in January or February in the Gregorian calendar. Vietnamese people celebrate Tết annually, which is based on a lunisolar calendar calculating both the motions of Earth around the Sun and of the Moon around Earth. Tết is generally celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year also called Spring Festival , with the one-hour time difference between Vietnam and China resulting in the new moon occurring on different days.
It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar around late January or early February until at least the third day. Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. They set aside the trouble of the past year and hope for a better and happier upcoming year. This festival can also be referred to as Hội xuân in vernacular Vietnamese, festival — lễ hội, spring — mùa xuân.
The Lunar Year holiday was originally brought to Vietnam by the Chinese, who had formally incorporated Vietnam into their Han Dynasty empire in BCE and mostly had ruled it for over years until the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in the 10th century. That historic period of Chinese rule had significantly influenced Vietnamese culture, language, and administration, as Chinese governors had attempted for complete sinicization.
Most information sources state that Tết originated from the period of Chinese domination.
Vietnamese New Year 2025 in Vietnam
However according to the official online newspaper of the Vietnamese government, some historical materials suggest otherwise. Tết's origins have been a subject of scholarly research for many generations. According to researcher Toan Anh, Tết Nguyên Đán is considered the first festival of the new year, beginning at midnight with the Trừ tịch ceremony. The ceremony usually takes place between the hour of the Pig on the 30th day or, if it is a short month, on the 29th day of the lunar December, and the hour of the Rat on the 1st day of the lunar January.
Researcher Phan Cẩm Thượng, in his book " Customs of Human Life ", explains that the Vietnamese use the agricultural calendar or lunar calendar, which is based on the moon's rotation around the earth but also accounts for the 24 solar terms of the earth with the sun, including the four key points of the spring equinox , autumnal equinox , winter solstice , and summer solstice.
Tết begins on the first day of lunar January, marking the start of a new year and a new farming cycle. Historian Trần Văn Giáp asserts that there are many ways to divide time into months and years. From the beginning, each ethnic group had its own way of dividing months and years. The origin and meaning of Tết Nguyên Đán have been prevalent since then.
The legend of Lang Lieu and Banh Chung also suggests that Tết existed over a thousand years before the period of Chinese domination. Confucius and ancient Chinese texts like "Jiaozhou ji" mention similar festivals in the Vietnamese region, suggesting that Tết may have indigenous roots independent of Chinese influence. Confucius wrote in the Book of Rites : "I do not know what Tết is, but I have heard it is the name of a great festival of the Man people, where they dance wildly, drink alcohol, and celebrate during those days.
The 4th century chronicle Jiaozhou ji states, "The people of Jiao District often gather in guilds to sing, dance, eat, and celebrate for many days to rejoice in a new planting season. Not only the farmers but all the household members of the nobility and chieftains also participate in this festival. The name Tết is a shortening of Tết Nguyên Đán, literally written as tết meaning festivals; only used in festival names and nguyên đán which means the first day of the year.
Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tết. Some return to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors in their homeland. They also clear up the graves of their families as a sign of respect. Although Tết is a national holiday among all Vietnamese, each region and religion has its own customs. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday food and doing house cleaning.
These foods include bánh tét , bánh chưng , bánh dày , canh khổ qua , thịt kho hột vịt , dried young bamboo soup canh măng , giò , and xôi sticky rice. Many customs and traditions are practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on the first day of the new year xông nhà , ancestor veneration , exchanging New Year's greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, opening a shop, visiting relatives, friends, and neighbors.
Vietnamese New Year (Tet)
Tết can be divided into three time periods, tất niên celebrations before the end of the year , giao thừa New Year's Eve , and năm mới the New Year , representing the preparation before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tết, respectively. The first day of Tết is reserved for the nuclear family. Children receive red envelopes containing money from their elders. This tradition is called "mừng tuổi" happy age [ 15 ] in the North region and lì xì in the South region.
Usually, children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional Tết greetings before receiving money. Wearing red clothing during Tết is common as it is associated with good luck. Since the Vietnamese believe that the first visitor who a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, people never enter any house on the first day without being invited first.
The verb of being the first person to enter a house at Tết is xông đất, xông nhà, or đạp đất, [ 16 ] which is one of the most important customs during Tết. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to a family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings. Usually, a person of good temper, morality, and success will be a lucky sign for the host family and be first invited into his house.
However, just to be safe, the owner of the house will leave the house a few minutes before midnight and come back just as the clock strikes midnight to prevent anyone else from entering the house first who might potentially bring any unfortunate events in the new year, to the household. Sweeping during Tết is taboo, it is xui or rủi unlucky , since it symbolizes sweeping the luck away; that is why they clean before the new year.
It is also taboo for anyone who experienced a recent loss of a family member to visit anyone else during Tết.