Vietnam's Vu-lan Báo Hiếu falls on the 15th day of which lunar month?

Vietnam’s Vu-lan Báo Hiếu falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.

The date is the full moon of the seventh month in the Vietnamese lunar calendar. Vu Lan is a Buddhist festival of filial gratitude, when people express devotion to their parents, remember ancestors, and honor deceased family members.

The observance is linked to the Buddhist Ullambana tradition and the story of Maudgalyayana, known in Vietnamese tradition as Mục Kiền Liên. According to the story, he sought help to relieve his deceased mother’s suffering, establishing a model of compassion and filial responsibility. Vietnamese pagodas may hold chanting, memorial rites, charitable activities, and ceremonies involving red or white roses.

Vu Lan shares the date with other seventh-month observances, including the Vietnamese rituals for wandering or deceased spirits. That overlap can lead readers to mistake it for a separate tenth- or fourth-month festival. The lunar date also means its Gregorian date changes annually; in 2026, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month falls on August 27.