Vietnam celebrates Tết Nguyên Đán for Lunar New Year.
Usually shortened to Tết, Tết Nguyên Đán is Vietnam’s most important traditional celebration. The name refers to the arrival of the first day of the first month in the Vietnamese lunisolar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, it normally falls between late January and late February.
Tết is marked by family reunions, ancestor veneration, visits to relatives and friends, fireworks, special foods, and the giving of red envelopes to children and older people. Homes and streets may be decorated with flowering plants, including peach blossoms in northern Vietnam and yellow apricot blossoms in southern regions.
Tết generally occurs on the same date as Chinese New Year, but the calendars are not identical. Because Vietnam and China use different time zones and calendar calculations, their New Year dates have occasionally differed. Tết should also not be confused with Tết Trung Thu, Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival. Thailand and the Philippines observe other festivals and traditions, while Japan’s main New Year is now based on the Gregorian calendar.