8+ experiences in Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An worth trying
Tet Lunar New Year in Hoi An keeps the Old Town lively, with many restaurants, hotels, and shops remaining open throughout the holiday. This guide covers 8+ experiences worth timing your trip around, from flower markets and festive streets to New Year’s Eve celebrations. It also highlights what closes during Tet, so you can plan each day with fewer surprises.
Top 8 experiences you must try on Tet in Hoi An
Anyone researching Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An for the first time usually pictures one single celebration, but the holiday here actually spreads across more than two weeks of build-up, peak nights, and follow-on festivals. Treating it as one long window rather than a single date changes how you plan the trip entirely.
The list below moves from the events tied to fixed dates toward the quieter, more flexible experiences, so you can decide which moments are worth locking into your itinerary and which ones can simply happen if your schedule allows.
Visit the Flower Market from January 21-February 5
Hoi An’s spring flower market is expected to run from about January 21 to February 5, 2027, following last year’s pattern of roughly two weeks before New Year’s Eve. It’s one of the few Tet experiences that unfolds gradually rather than on a single night. Streets fill with kumquat trees, marigolds, and peach blossom branches as households and shopkeepers buy their New Year decorations, and walking through the market in the days beforehand gives a genuine sense of a city gearing up rather than one already mid-celebration.
For anyone building an itinerary around Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An, the flower market is worth arriving early for specifically, since it captures a side of the holiday that disappears once the celebrations themselves begin. Vendors set up along several central streets, and browsing this market alongside locals doing their own New Year shopping is a very different experience from watching a staged cultural show.
Walk the Old Town on the afternoon of Tet Eve
The afternoon before New Year’s Eve is a distinct window worth catching on purpose. Shops are finishing their decorations, families are making last preparations, and the streets carry an anticipatory energy that’s different from the fuller celebration that follows later that night.
This is also one of the few stretches where the Old Town feels calm rather than crowded, since the biggest surge of visitors and locals arrives closer to midnight. Anyone timing this part of the trip should treat the quiet afternoon as its own separate experience, not just a warm-up to the fireworks.
Read more: Perfect Hoi An itinerary for all travelers
Ring in the New Year at Hoi An’s fireworks site
Vietnam’s New Year fireworks are expected to light up at midnight on the night of February 5 into February 6, 2027, typically for 10 to 15 minutes, marking the exact transition into the Year of the Goat. The fireworks are launched from Con Bap, so the banks of the Hoai River around Nguyen Phuc Chu is one of the most practical places to watch, especially the stretch toward the end of the street where the view across the river is more open. You can also look for a riverside café or upper-floor spot if you prefer to watch from above rather than stand in the crowd.
Crowds begin gathering along the river hours before midnight, and getting there early matters if you want a clear view. On the night itself, the streets around the Ancient Town become packed, with lanterns, drumming, and people converging along the Hoai River. Arriving early also gives you time to choose a position with the fireworks in view without having to push through the busiest parts of the crowd.
This is as close as Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An gets to a single shared moment. Bring a light layer for the cooler February evening, keep your phone and valuables secure in the crowd, and expect the walk back to your accommodation to take considerably longer than usual once the fireworks finish.
Have a proper Tet Meal in Hoi An
A proper Tet meal is worth seeking out rather than settling for a generic dinner. In 2026, Red Bean Hoi An Restaurant offered a dedicated Tet set menu at around 900,000 VND per person, with traditional Vietnamese dishes served during the holiday.
For a more casual Vietnamese meal, places such as HOME Hoi An and Com Linh – Vietnamese Restaurant are worth checking, although their regular menus should not be assumed to be Tet-specific. Ask before booking whether the restaurant has a Tet set menu and what dishes are included.
A Tet meal should feature familiar holiday flavours such as banh chung or banh tet, pickled vegetables, thit kho, and other family-style dishes. Booking ahead is sensible around the main Tet days, when opening hours and menus can change.
Watch Bai Choi, then walk the Hoai riverside
Bai Choi, a centuries-old folk card game performed with singing, was revived in Hoi An in 1998 as part of the town’s broader push to restore its traditional culture, and performers still take to the riverside stalls throughout the Tet period. The game uses a 32-card deck dealt across 9 to 11 bamboo stalls, called “choi,” with a caller singing out each drawn card in a distinctive melodic style rather than simply announcing it (Source: Vien Am Nhac).
Following a Bai Choi session with a walk along the Hoai River afterward is a natural pairing, since both experiences center on the same stretch of riverside after dark. It’s also one of the more accessible cultural touchpoints of Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An for visitors who don’t speak Vietnamese, since the performance style carries plenty of energy even if the wordplay itself gets lost in translation.
Release a lantern on the Hoai River after dark
Floating lanterns cost around 10,000 to 20,000 VND each, and a short boat ride to release one from the water runs about 150,000 VND for one to three people or 200,000 VND for four to five, for a ride of roughly 20 to 30 minutes (Source: Bao Tuoi Tre). Doing this during Tet specifically means releasing your lantern into a river already busier with locals doing the same for New Year wishes, a different atmosphere than an ordinary evening visit.
Boats queue up more than usual during this period, so building in extra waiting time is worth it rather than rushing the experience. Locals releasing lanterns for genuine New Year wishes alongside tourists doing the same thing is part of what makes this stretch of the holiday feel less staged than it might elsewhere.
Catch the Cau Bong festival in Tra Que
The Cau Bong Festival, held annually at Tra Que Vegetable Village on the seventh day of the first lunar month, is a prayer festival rooted in the village’s farming traditions. Locals give thanks for the land and farming heritage while wishing for favorable weather and a productive growing season ahead, offering a very different side of Tet from the lanterns and riverside celebrations in the Ancient Town.
Because it takes place several days after New Year’s Day itself, the festival is worth considering if you’re staying in Hoi An beyond the main Tet celebrations. The short trip to Tra Que also gives you a quieter, more rural experience of Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An, away from the Old Town crowds.
Watch the sunrise over Binh Minh Beach on a New Year morning
A first morning of the new year spent on Binh Minh Beach, away from the Old Town’s crowds, is a quieter way to mark the holiday. The beach faces east, so sunrise comes in directly over the water, and early risers can also catch local fishing boats returning from the night’s work, a routine that continues through the holiday regardless of the festivities happening elsewhere in town.
This kind of morning works well precisely because it asks nothing of you beyond showing up early. After a late night watching fireworks, a slow sunrise walk is often a better way to greet the first day of the new year than rushing straight into another scheduled event.
Spend a slow Tet afternoon at Bliss Hoi An
Not every part of a Tet trip needs to be spent chasing events. After a busy morning in the Ancient Town or a crowded flower market, Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness gives you a quieter place to slow down. Spend the afternoon by the 55-metre oceanfront infinity pool, walk along Binh Minh Beach, book a treatment at Ngoc Linh Spa, or join one of the resort’s daily Tai Chi, yoga, or breathing sessions.
You also don’t have to give up easy access to Hoi An by staying at a beach resort. Bliss runs a shuttle bus to Hoi An Ancient Town, with the journey taking around 20 minutes. That makes it practical to spend a slow afternoon at the resort, then head into the Old Town later for dinner, lantern-lit streets, or the evening’s Tet celebrations without arranging another transfer yourself. The shuttle operates on a set schedule, so reserve your seat ahead of time, especially during the holiday.
The balance is exactly what one overseas couple liked about their stay: “It’s not too far from everything, but it’s still quiet and peaceful, which is exactly what we wanted.” They also described Bliss in one word: “relaxing.” That fits well with Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An, when a few hours away from the crowds can make the rest of the holiday easier to enjoy.
Rather than filling every Tet day with another activity, leave one afternoon open for the pool, beach, spa, or simply doing nothing. Then take the shuttle into town when you’re ready to join the celebrations again.
A quick overview of the key dates for Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An:
| Date | Experience / Event |
| Jan 21-Feb 5, 2027 (expected) | Spring flower market |
| Feb 5, 2027 | New Year’s Eve |
| Feb 6, 2027 | New Year’s Day (Mung 1 Tet) |
| From Feb 6, 2027 (2027 edition not yet announced) | Festival of Light & Heritage |
| Feb 12, 2027 (expected) | Cau Bong Festival, Tra Que |
| Feb 16-17, 2027 (expected) | Kim Bong Carpentry Ancestor Festival |
| Feb 17, 2027 (expected) | Traditional wood-cutting ritual & boat race |
| Feb 16-17, 2027 (expected) | Cau Ngu Festival |
| Feb 19-21, 2027 | Nguyen Tieu Festival |
What to book ahead before visiting Hoi An for Tet
Hoi An’s reputation as one of the more open Vietnamese destinations during Tet is genuinely accurate. Still, a few details are worth checking ahead to avoid surprises during Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An.
Book your hotel and Tet dinner early
Accommodation books up and prices rise well before the holiday itself, particularly for New Year’s Eve through the first two or three days. Booking a room and any special Tet-menu dinners at least a few weeks ahead isn’t just a suggestion here, it’s close to essential if your dates fall on the exact peak days.
Restaurants running dedicated Tet menus also tend to sell out their seatings for the biggest nights first, so waiting until arrival to secure a table for a proper Tet dinner often means settling for whatever is still available rather than the meal you actually wanted.
Check flights, trains and shuttle schedules
Grab and other ride-hailing apps continue operating through Tet, but fares typically run higher than usual during the peak days. If you’re staying somewhere with a scheduled shuttle into the Old Town, confirm the holiday timetable in advance rather than assuming it matches the regular weekly schedule, since many properties adjust hours around the biggest celebration days.
Flights and trains into Da Nang also tend to fill up and rise in price around the holiday, mirroring the same pattern as local accommodation, so locking in transport early is worth doing well before finalizing the rest of a Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An itinerary.
Expect limited restaurant and tailor services
This is where the real information gap shows up. Multiple travelers have reported that on the first couple of days of Tet specifically, some restaurants open only for drinks rather than full food service, even when the exterior looks open for business. Tailor shops face a more significant disruption: it’s not unusual for tailoring services across Hoi An to close for around 10 days spanning the holiday, a detail that catches visitors off guard if a custom order was part of the trip plan.
By the third day of Tet, most tourism-facing businesses are reported to be back in full swing, so building flexibility into the first two or three days of a visit, rather than locking in a packed schedule, avoids the most common disappointments travelers run into during Tet Lunar New Year Hoi An.
Check opening hours before you go
Beyond the general pattern above, it’s worth checking specific opening hours directly rather than assuming based on a business’s usual schedule, particularly for anything outside the main tourist strip. Smaller hotels may also run with reduced housekeeping during the first couple of days.
Some essential services, such as pharmacies, may close or operate on limited hours during the first days of Tet. It is therefore worth buying what you need in advance rather than waiting until you need it.
Read more: Best Time to Visit Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue for the Perfect Central Vietnam Trip
If your Tet trip includes a few of these fixed-date events alongside genuine downtime, Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness sits on Binh Minh Beach with a complimentary shuttle into the Ancient Town, making it straightforward to enjoy the flower market, midnight fireworks and a quieter place to return to.
For a more local way to spend your time between the holiday events, you can also add a Hoi An Street Food Tour to your stay and explore the city’s food scene with a guided evening experience. Book your stay at Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness ahead of Tet if you are travelling on the peak holiday dates.
FAQs
What date is Tet Lunar New Year 2027 in Hoi An?
New Year’s Eve falls on February 5, 2027, with Mung 1 Tet on February 6, marking the start of the Year of the Goat.
What happens in Hoi An on New Year’s Eve?
Fireworks are expected around midnight, with crowds gathering along the Hoai River beforehand. Arrive early for a better viewing spot.
When will Hoi An’s flower market happen in 2027?
It is expected to run from around January 21 to February 5, although exact dates have not yet been confirmed.
Can you visit the Old Town on the first day of Tet?
Yes. Hoi An generally remains active during Tet, although some restaurants, shops, and tailors may close or reduce their hours.
Should I book restaurants ahead of visiting Hoi An during Tet?
Yes, especially for Tet set menus. Check opening hours and food service before visiting, as some restaurants may operate limited services during the first days.
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