Landing in Haiphong as the Year Turns
By the last days before Tết, Haiphong's flower markets are running at full tilt. Bamboo poles lean against shopfronts, weighted with good-luck charms; peach blossoms and kumquat trees are being loaded onto motorbikes; and the smell of roasting watermelon seeds drifts out of stalls onto the pavement. This is the arrival of spring, Tết Nguyên Đán, and in 2027 the first day of the lunar new year falls on 6 February. The city's public face of Tết is a mix of family ritual and street celebration: drums, bells and gongs, dragon and lion dances, and public performances staged across Vietnam to see in the new year.
Shop the Tết Markets for Blossoms, Sweets and Seeds
The days before 6 February are the time to walk the markets. Vietnamese households clean their homes ahead of Tết to wash away bad spirits, then fill them with flowers, blossoms and fruit — the exact varieties differing by region — along with a New Year tree made from a bamboo pole decorated with good-luck charms. You will see the same shopping list in Haiphong: peach blossom branches, kumquat trees, and trays of the sweets that define the season.
- Mứt Tết — candied fruit, sold by the box and offered to every guest who comes through the door.
- Hạt dưa — roasted watermelon seeds, the snack that sits on every Tết table.
- Bánh chưng and bánh tét — sticky rice with meat or bean fillings, wrapped and boiled in the days before the holiday.
- Dưa hành and củ kiệu — pickled onion, cabbage and small leeks, the sharp counterweight to all that richness.
Shop early in the day and expect the market to be busiest in the final stretch before the first day of the new year.
Watch the Dragon Dances and Hear the Drums
Public Tết celebrations in Vietnam centre on dragon and lion dances and public performances, with drums, bells, gongs and firecrackers used to ward off evil spirits. In Haiphong, position yourself in the city centre and along the main streets in the days around 6 February and you will catch processions moving between businesses and public spaces. The noise is the point: the drums and gongs are there to clear out the old year.
Keep an eye out, too, for the decorated bamboo pole outside households and shops — the New Year tree that marks a home ready for the holiday.
Eat Your Way Through the First Days
Tết food is slow food: bánh chưng and bánh tét are prepared in advance and eaten over several days, which means the city's kitchens are stocked and ready even as the holiday begins. Restaurants and shops now remain open through Tết, though historically the country closed for around two weeks, so you will not go hungry. Look for:
- Thịt kho nước dừa — meat stewed in coconut juice, rich and built for sharing.
- Bánh chưng and bánh tét, sliced and pan-fried.
- Dưa hành and củ kiệu alongside the meat.
- Mứt Tết and hạt dưa to finish, with tea.
If you are invited into a home, accept. The first visitor to a house is believed to determine the household's luck for the year, so your hosts will be glad of good company — and you should not sweep while you are there, as sweeping during Tết may sweep away good fortune.
Join the Pagoda Visits and the Family Days
The first day of the lunar new year is reserved for family, and the days that follow are given over to visiting friends, relatives and Buddhist pagodas. As a visitor, the pagodas are where you can take part most naturally: families gather to pay respects to ancestors, and the atmosphere through the following days is open and busy. Children wear new clothes, greet their elders and receive lucky money in red envelopes — greet anyone you meet with "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới".
Note that the Vietnamese zodiac differs from the Chinese, with the cat (mẹo/mão) replacing the rabbit and the water buffalo (sửu/trâu) replacing the ox; 2026 is the Year of the Fire Goat in Vietnam.
Plan Around the Date
Tết Nguyên Đán 2027 begins on 6 February 2027, and the days immediately before it are when the markets peak and the city fills with flowers and shoppers. Book accommodation and travel well ahead, since Tết is a national holiday and the whole country moves at once. Build your trip around the days either side of 6 February: shop the markets before, then spend the first days of the new year at the pagodas, in the streets with the drums, and at the table with bánh chưng, thịt kho nước dừa and a box of mứt Tết.