Walk Into Tet Eve in the Old Quarter
By mid-evening the alleys of the Old Quarter have filled with people moving at half speed, and the curbsides have changed. Makeshift altars appear outside doorways, set with fruit and boiled chicken, and the smell of incense mixes with whatever is frying in the kitchens behind them. This is Tet Eve, the night before the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Hanoi's streets are the celebration. The holiday's roots reach back to early Vietnamese settlements in the Red River Delta, where Tet marked the start of a new wet-rice cycle, and the city still treats the evening as the hinge between one year and the next. If you are in Hanoi for it, your job is simply to be out in it.
Join the Midnight Fireworks
Fireworks are lit throughout Vietnam's major cities on Tet Eve, and midnight outdoor viewing is the reliable centrepiece of the night. In Hanoi, position yourself in the open and look up — the city's skies are the venue, and the crowds gathered to watch are part of the event. Come early, expect to walk rather than ride, and plan to be on foot for the hours either side of midnight.
- Timing: fireworks are set off at midnight on Tet Eve.
- Where: throughout the major cities, Hanoi included — the source does not name specific Hanoi launch sites, so follow the crowds and the noise.
- Bring: patience for crowds and a willingness to stand. Traffic and streets fill long before midnight.
Shop the Flower Market Before the Holiday
In the week before Tet, head to Quảng Bá Flower Market near West Lake. This is where Hanoians come to buy pink peach boughs, the northern symbol of the New Year, and the market is at its most active in the days leading up to the holiday. Homes and offices across the city are decorated with peach blossoms, kumquat trees and "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" signs — the flower market is where that decoration begins. Go in the days before Tet Eve, not on it.
- Quảng Bá Flower Market, near West Lake — notable in the week before Tet.
- What to look for: pink peach boughs, the northern Tet flower.
- Kumquat trees are also a fixture of the season — you will see them strapped to motorbikes across the city, their size popularly believed to correspond to the prosperity and health they bring.
Eat the Northern Tet Table
The northern Tet meal is built around bánh chưng, the sticky rice cake at the centre of the celebrations. Its folklore traces back to a Hùng King's contest among his sons to find the best dish — two savoury rice cakes representing heaven and earth. On a Hanoi table it sits alongside nem (fried spring rolls) and whole boiled chicken. For a taste of the tradition with some history behind it, Quốc Hương Shop on Hàng Bông Street sells bánh chưng and has reportedly done so for 200 years.
- Bánh chưng — sticky rice cake, the essential northern Tet dish.
- Nem — fried spring rolls, part of the northern Tet meal.
- Whole boiled chicken — the third pillar of the northern spread.
- Candied fruits — served in boxes to guests throughout the holiday.
- Quốc Hương Shop, Hàng Bông Street — bánh chưng, reportedly for two centuries.
One practical warning: businesses and restaurants typically shut for at least the first few days of Tet. Eat well before the holiday begins, and stock up.
Know the Rhythm — and the Quiet That Follows
Tet is a public holiday of about a week, but the celebrations run longer: they begin roughly three days before Lunar New Year and continue a few days after. The first days of Tet give you something a visitor almost never gets — big cities emptied of traffic. Hanoi in that window is good for exploring by bicycle, scooter or on foot. Then the city refills.
- Book transport and accommodation far in advance — demand for buses, trains, planes and hotel rooms is heavy as people return to their hometowns.
- Avoid travelling during the peak period if you can; the source advises as much.
- Expect limited dining and shopping in the first days, with the city unusually quiet.
- Greeting: "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" — Happy New Year.
- Custom to respect: the first guest of the year is specially chosen to bring good luck. Do not visit a Vietnamese home without an invitation.
Plan Around the Calendar, Not a Programme
The sources do not give 2027-specific event listings, concert programmes or parade schedules for Hanoi, so treat the fixed points as the ones above: the flower market in the week before, the curbside altars and crowds of Tet Eve in the Old Quarter, the midnight fireworks, and the northern Tet table. The holiday is anchored to the lunar calendar, so confirm the exact 2027 dates before you book. Reserve your transport and room early, arrive ahead of the first day, and let the Old Quarter's Tet Eve carry you into the new year.