Walk Into the Old Quarter as the City Turns Gold
It is the last week before Tet 2027, and the Old Quarter is running hot. Peach blossom branches, kumquat trees and pots of yellow apricot blossom spill off the pavements where motorbikes normally park, and the narrow streets fill with families loading up on flowers, fruit and red-and-gold paper goods. This is the fortnight of preparation, when Hanoi shops for its most important festival — Tet Nguyen Dan, the Lunar New Year — and the run-up is as much a spectacle as the holiday itself.
Tet 2027 falls on February 6, 2027, and public holidays typically run for seven days around it, with the exact days depending on where the weekend lands and whether bridge days are declared. Plan your trip around the fact that the city has two distinct moods: the busy, brightly decorated build-up, and the quiet, almost traffic-free days that follow.
Shop the Flower and Tet Markets Before the Sixth
In the two weeks before Tet, Hanoians clean and decorate their homes with Hoa Mai (yellow apricot blossom), Hoa Dao (peach blossom), kumquat trees and other flowers. Join them at the seasonal flower markets that appear across the city — this is where the city's Tet look is assembled, and where you'll see kumquat trees chosen with real care for shape and fruit.
- Go in the days leading up to February 6 to see markets at their fullest; the busiest trade is in the final pre-Tet stretch.
- Buy a small peach or apricot branch for your hotel room — the traditional northern decoration.
- Note that many shops close for the first few days of Tet, and those that stay open often discount heavily to start the sales year well.
If you want to shop seriously, do it before the holiday. Avoid bargaining during Tet itself — it's considered bad luck for the new year, and if you must negotiate, do it very politely.
Spend New Year's Eve Among the Crowds
The eve of Tet is when Hanoi cooks. Large-scale preparation happens in homes across the city, and the first day of the New Year brings new clothes and shoes, visits to family and friends, traditional foods such as Banh Chung (sticky rice cake), and lucky money in red envelopes for children. As a visitor you won't be inside a family kitchen, but you can feel the rhythm of it in the streets: quietening traffic, lit-up shopfronts, and locals out in their best clothes.
- Expect the eve and the first days to be the centrepiece of the celebration — the festival lasts a week or longer.
- Dress well on the first day; new clothes are part of the tradition.
- Use these days for Old Quarter walks, when the streets are unusually calm with light traffic.
Timings for specific public concerts, parades, street parties and fireworks displays in Hanoi for 2027 are not confirmed here, so treat the exact programme as something to check locally on arrival rather than to plan around in advance. What you can rely on is the shape of the festival: the eve, the first day, and the days of visiting that follow.
Eat Banh Chung and Let the City Feed You
Tet food is family food, and the signature dish is Banh Chung — sticky rice cake, traditionally prepared in the big eve-of-Tet cooking session. Many restaurants close during Tet, so build your eating plan around what stays open.
- Hotel restaurants are a reliable option when other restaurants are shut.
- Try Banh Chung at the first opportunity — it's the dish most associated with the holiday.
- Shop for fruit, flowers and sweets at the pre-Tet markets while they're still running.
Because many restaurants close and shops shut for the first few days, your best meals may be the ones you arrange in advance. Book tables where you can, and keep hotel dining as your fallback.
Time Your Sights Around the Closures
Hanoi in Tet is cool and bright — the north averages around 17 °C, so bring a jacket for evenings. The bigger issue is what's open. Many museums, mausoleums, indoor exhibition venues and art houses close for the first three days of Tet, while some tourist sites stay open. Banks close for the holiday, and currency exchange is possible at hotels, often at unfavourable rates.
- Schedule museum-type sights for just before or just after Tet.
- Use the Tet days themselves for Old Quarter walks, when the streets are quiet.
- Change money before the banks shut, or accept hotel rates.
This is also the moment to consider a short escape. The north's cool, dry weather suits Halong Bay, and the central and southern regions — Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta — sit at a warm 25–28 °C. Note that Mekong Delta floating markets close for the holiday, so don't build a Delta itinerary around them during Tet.
Book Early, Then Let the City Set the Pace
Tet is Vietnam's domestic travel peak. Flights, buses and trains book out well in advance — roughly a week either side of the holiday — and most hotels stay open though some raise prices. Book tours two to four months ahead, and book hotels early for lower prices, availability and choice.
Start with your dates: February 6, 2027, with a week of holiday around it and the possibility of extra bridge days. Then work backwards — lock in transport and a hotel in the Old Quarter, plan your museum visits for either side of the first three days, and leave the Tet days themselves free for markets, Banh Chung, quiet streets and the simple pleasure of watching Hanoi celebrate its most important festival.