Nguyen Hue Flower Street and the Tet Eve Countdown
By mid-evening on Tet Eve, Friday 5 February 2027, the pedestrian spine of Nguyen Hue is packed shoulder to shoulder, lit end to end with themed floral installations that change design every year. This is the city's central festive showcase, and its dates and design are announced closer to Tet, so check the city's official announcement in the weeks before you fly. The crowd here is the point: families in new clothes, teenagers photographing each other against the displays, vendors working the edges. Arrive before dark to walk the length of it while there's still room to move.
At midnight, fireworks go up over multiple riverside sites. In 2026 there were 17 locations, including the Saigon River and the Thu Thiem area; the 2027 line-up is confirmed by city announcement nearer the date. Riverside positions fill early, so pick your spot well before 11pm and plan to walk, not ride, on the way home.
What Actually Stays Open, and When
Tet Day itself — Saturday 6 February 2027 — is described by residents as a peaceful ghost town. The hardest closure window runs from Tet Eve through Mùng 2–3, roughly 5–8 February, with a gradual reopening from Mùng 4–6. Central tourist and mall zones stay busier than the rest of the city; residential alleys and family-run shops shut. Vietnam's Labour Code grants a minimum of five paid public-holiday days for Lunar New Year, and the government typically arranges a continuous break of roughly 7–9 days including weekends and compensatory days. The official 2027 span is published a few months ahead — the 2026 schedule was issued by official letter in October 2025 — so treat calendar-site spans as estimates until then.
- Open: malls and big supermarkets on adjusted hours, often extended pre-holiday and shortened or closed on the core day, reopening from around Mùng 2 — check individual branches.
- Open: convenience stores, hospitals on Tet emergency duty, large pharmacy chains, hotel restaurants and central cafés.
- Closed: banks and government offices for the official holiday; local restaurants, wet markets and small shops, some shut from Tet Eve until Mùng 3 or later.
- Watch for: ATMs running dry, fewer Grab and taxi drivers with longer waits and higher fares, and airport runs that need extra time.
Eating Through Tet, and the Cash You'll Need
Your reliable meals over the core days come from hotel restaurants and central cafés, plus whatever the malls and supermarkets are running. This is also the season to eat at home as locals do, which means shopping before the shutdown: stock food, water, medicine and any baby or pet supplies before Tet Eve. Wet markets and small shops close, so the supermarket run happens in the extended pre-holiday hours.
Withdraw cash early and in small notes. Small vendors, parking and lì xì are cash-only. Lì xì — lucky money, small crisp notes in red envelopes — is given to close contacts such as housekeepers, nannies and regular building staff. It's a gesture, not an obligation, and having clean low-denomination notes ready is the practical part.
Where to Base Yourself, and How to Move
Serviced buildings with staffed reception and security, with convenience stores nearby, run more smoothly over Tet than self-contained towers. Binh Thanh, Thao Dien and District 1 keep more services within reach. Book airport and intercity transport early; fares surge and seats sell out. If you're handling anything administrative — viewings, lease signing, deposits, move-in, internet setup, repairs — finish it one to two weeks before Tet, because rental admin stalls entirely during the holiday.
Before You Book
Anchor your trip to the fixed dates: Tet Eve on Friday 5 February 2027 and Tet Day on Saturday 6 February 2027, with the quietest stretch running through roughly 8 February and the city coming back to life from Mùng 4–6. Then build the rest around what gets confirmed later — the official holiday span, the fireworks sites, the Flower Street dates and design, and individual business and transport schedules. Verify official announcements and individual businesses in the weeks before you go, book your transport and accommodation early, and you'll spend the holiday watching the city instead of chasing it.