Watch the Year Turn on the Can Tho Riverfront
On the evening of Friday, February 5, 2027 — Lunar New Year's Eve — the Mekong Delta's biggest city does what it does every Tet: the riverfront fills with families on motorbikes, and the air carries smoke, blossoms and the sweetness of candied fruit. Tet Nguyên Đán itself falls the next day, Saturday, February 6, 2027, the Year of the Goat, and the city's main celebrations centre on New Year's Eve and the first three days of the lunar year. The official public-sector holiday runs February 4–10, 2027, so the whole first week of February is the frame for your trip.
Shop the Tet Flower and Fruit Markets
Flower displays are a core Tet custom, and in the Delta that means merchants hauling in apricot blossom branches, kumquat trees and chrysanthemums in the days before the holiday. Can Tho's markets and riverside streets are the place to watch households buy them — go in the daytime in the days before New Year's Eve, when the trade is busiest and you can still photograph freely. Carry small denominations: banks may close over the holiday, so withdraw cash in advance.
- Buy a small kumquat or apricot branch for your hotel room — the same custom local families follow.
- Stock up on candied fruit and tea for New Year greetings; home visits traditionally involve both.
- Visit a temple to see Tet offerings and ancestor veneration in practice.
Join the New Year's Eve Crowds and Fireworks
New Year's Eve is the city's biggest public night. Expect crowds along the riverfront and in the central streets, with fireworks and public gatherings as the clock turns — the same pattern Vietnamese cities follow each year. Arrive early, expect traffic restrictions near the main event areas, and plan your route back to the hotel before midnight.
Eat Your Way Through Tet
Traditional Tet dishes and special New Year meals are central to the holiday, and Can Tho's restaurants serve them through the season. Book a table for New Year's Eve well in advance — many family-run places close for part or all of the holiday, and the ones that stay open fill fast. If a favourite restaurant is shut, follow the locals to the markets and the larger hotels, which typically keep their kitchens running with variable hours.
- Reserve your New Year's Eve dinner ahead; walk-ins are unreliable on February 5.
- Try the seasonal sweets and candied fruit offered during New Year greetings.
- Ask your hotel which nearby restaurants stay open through February 4–10.
Time Your Trip Around the Holiday
Tet is Vietnam's peak domestic travel period, so flights, hotels and excursions are in high demand. Avoid domestic flights between New Year's Eve and the fourth day of Tet if you can; book accommodation and any boat or Delta excursions early. Visa services may be suspended over the holiday — apply at least seven working days beforehand and check e-visa details carefully. Airports and border control stay open, but expect congestion. If you want one more reason to linger, the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month falls on February 20, 2027.
Use Can Tho as Your Delta Base
Can Tho sits at the heart of the Mekong Delta, and the floating markets and river life that draw visitors here keep working around the holiday, though hours vary. Build in a buffer day on either side of February 4–10 for closures and slower transport, and treat the city's riverfront as your anchor: it is where the flower sellers, the New Year's Eve crowds and the fireworks all converge.
Start with the dates: arrive by February 3 or 4, settle in before the public holiday begins, and keep New Year's Eve free. Book your hotel and your February 5 dinner now, then watch for the city's official 2027 fireworks and concert announcements as the date approaches.