1. Traditional Vietnamese new year
Lunar Calendar : 3 days from 1st-3rd of the 1st month
Gregorian Calendar: February 1st - 3rd
Traditional Tet is the biggest festival for Vietnamese people, taking place for 3 main days, but usually longer because it is an opportunity for everyone to rest and look back on the achievements in the past one year, spend time having fun with family and visit relatives and also an opportunity for people to show more gratitude to their ancestors.
2. Lim Festival
Lunar Calendar: 13th of 1st month
Gregorian Calendar: February 13th
This festival is held in the areas around Lim Mountain and the two banks of the Tieu Tuong River. These are locations in Lim town, Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province.
Bac Ninh is the cradle of Quan Ho (folk singing perfomance) and has been recognized by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage, so the Lim festival is an opportunity for you to fully enjoy a festival that is drawn from quintessence of Vietnamese culture and people and has the stature of continuing history.
3. First Full Moon Festival
Lunar Calendar: 15th of 1st month
Gregorian Calendar: February 15th
First Full Moon Festival (Tet Nguyen Tieu) originated from the legend of a swan in the heaven, it is said that one day the swan, the heaven emperior's pet, came down to the earth to roam and was unfortunately killed by humans, the emperior was angry and punished human by burning everything on earth on the first moon night. So on this day, the fire will be burn, lights up lanterns and fires fireworks, create a scene like the whole earth is engulfed in fire, thanks to which make the earth escapes from doom. And on this day, everyone goes to pogoda to pray, then gather with family and have party together to celebrates a peaceful and lucky new year.
4. Perfume Pagoda Festival
Officially occurring from the 15th to the 20th day of the second lunar month, around middle of March in Gregorian calendar
Huong Pagoda Festival mainly consists of sightseeing trips to pagodas, temples and caves as well as visiting ceremonies to ask favours from Lord Buddha. Situated approximately 60 kilometers southwest from Ha Noi, Huong Son boasts quite a few pagodas built in the Posterior Le Dynasty.
The festival is the most crowded from the 15th – 20th day of the 2nd month of the lunar calendar as this period marks the the main festival.
However, since the first day of the lunar New Year, thousands of tourists and pilgrims have flocked to the sacred land to visit and pray for a prosperous.
The pilgrims and traveler can travel by boat along Yen river to the base of Huong Son Moutain, passing by limestone caves and rice field. The journey continues on foot by climbing hundreds of stone steps towards Huong Tich cave, the main place for the festival.
The opening ceremony began at the Thien Tru Pagoda with pilgrims and tourists are invited to take part in the incense offering ceremony. In order to warm up the festival’s lively ambiance in the chilly weather, the traditional songs and dances took place before and after the ceremony.
5. Phu Giay Festival
Lunar Calendar: 3rd of 3rd month
Gregorian Calendar: April 3rd
Phu D Giay festival is only celebrated by villages within Kim Thai Commune, with the best place to celebrate being the Phu Giay temple.
Goddess Lieu Hanh is worshiped at many festivals across Vietnam, but the most solemn one, attracting the participation of a large number of people, is the Phu Giay Festival in March every year. On this occasion, the locals and tourists from all over the Vietnam flock to Phu Giay to pay their respects to goddess Mother Lieu Hanh.
The Phu Giay festival carries many historical, cultural and religious values of the agricultural inhabitants of the Northern Delta, boldly imbued with the indigenous beliefs of the Vietnamese people. At the festival, visitor can enjoy folk dance and classical song such as Trong Quan Cheo (satirical musical theatre) and Ca Tru (chamber music), also can enjoy many games such as capture- the- flag chess, human chess, lion dance, wrestling...resulting in a vibrant atmosphere.
6. Hung King Temple Festival
Lunar Calendar: 10th of 3rd month
Gregorian Calendar: April 10th
The Hung Kings’ Festival, or Hung Kings Commemoration Day is a Vietnamese festival held annually on 10th day of the third lunar month in honor of Hung Kings. The purpose of this ceremony is to remember and pay tribute to the Hung Kings who are the traditional founders and first kings of the nation. The main worship event takes place at Hung King temple, which is located on Nghia Linh mountain peak in Phu Tho province, hundred lanterns are released into the sky on the eve of the festival. The next morning, a flowers ceremony is held at Den Thuong (Upper Temple) where the Hung Kinh used to worship deities during their reign. Lastly, a huge procession starts at the foot of the mountain, consisting of pilgrims, Xoan classical song performances and Ca Tru classical operas at several temple along the way towards the main Hung Temple
7. Hue Festival
Gregorian Calendar: On April every other year
Hue Festival is a biennial celebration that takes place in Hue City. Here you can enjoy an array of cultural events, games, and performances held over the course of a week. Founded in 2000, the festival is held to preserve the traditional customs that have been practiced since the Nguyen Dynasty.
Some of the unique events held include, the Hue Poetry Festival, Ao Dai fashion shows...You can also enjoy sporting activities like kite flying, boat racing, and human chess. As Hue was the capital of Vietnam during the 19th century, the festival also hosts re-enactments of royal ceremonies, such as King Nguyen Hue’s enthronement and doctoral examinations. Street performances, film screenings, and art exhibitions are held throughout the festival week as well. At the same time, it honors elegant music of the Hue royalty - a masterpiece of intangible culture that has been recognized by UNESCO, continues to create a driving force to promote economic tourism and cultural development, creating a premise to build Hue into a Festival city of Vietnam. Offering visitors a look into the city’s rich culture and heritage.
8. Hoi An Lantern Festival
Hoi An Lantern Festival is held in Hoi An ancient town on the 14th of the lunar calendar every month and becomes even more beautiful and sparkling on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. On the day of the festival, the people of Hoi An will turn off the electric lights and hang bright lanterns throughout the old town. On the night of the lantern festival to welcome the Mid-Autumn, Hoi An ancient town seems to become brighter and more sparkling than ever with bright, gentle lights shining from the lanterns from the main streets to the small alleys.
The festival usually starts from about 6pm (when it starts to get dark) until about 9-10pm and takes place in bustling, the most crowded on the riverside section between the Japanese bridge and An Hoi bridge with many interesting activities, exciting, attractive to residents as well as domestic and foreign tourists.