Happy New Year to the Vietnamese members of TravelBlog and to those who are living and travelling in Vietnam. ::::: What happens in Vietnam during Tet? Is it a good time to travel in Vietnam? If so, which parts of Vietnam are the best to be in during this time?
What will Saigon be like for Tet?
Everyone I have spoken to is planning on getting the hell out of Nam before Tet happens but I'm not sure why. Isn't it a good festival to attend?
Reply to this Think it builds up for a few days to round about the 25th or 26th of Jan this year
Reply to this Hi,
Starting in a few days....writing this from Saigon. The first 2 days of Tet are very quiet...but it can actually be great fun to go around as the city is quieter.
You'll have no problem to find food. I first lived here back in 1996...and at that time it was tuff to find a single restaurant open. Things have changed, so don't be too scared....I'll be away before that.
Have fun,
Peter
Reply to this Mell, Tet in Vietnamese means the first few days of the lunar calendar which is also the biggest celebrating festival in Viet Nam. Usually 3 to 5 days, and this time the first day of Tet will be January 26.
Webster, Tet always falls in the high season. For some people go to VN to experience Tet was one of their highlights of the trip, to see how Vietnamese people busily preparing for it, and they can easily feel the festive air. The whole huge Nguyen Hue boulevard in Saigon is transformed into a huge garden, usually for 1 week, ended on the second day of Tet, don't miss it. www. duonghoanguyen hue.com So if you want to experience this important cultural event, go for it.
For some others, they have to deal with crowded transportations, can not get train or plane tickets, Many tourist attraction closed. However, if you travel against the flow of the mass traffic, you'd unlikely have much problem, for example, north to south prior to Tet and vice versa after Tet.
Have a good time!
Reply to this I was in Vietnam last year and the Tet festival was slap bang in the miidle of the month we were there... It was great to be there during that time. The festivities are immense and it was generally just good fun.
Sure almost everything is closed (there are still some places to eat though), room prices double (we were in Nah Trang, $24 a night instead of $12, nice room though), it's a pain to travel around, but it was totally worth it and very interesting to watch all the preparations and the Vietnamese party thier socks off in the street.
Most things catering to westerners are still open so you should be fine.
Just remember this phrase "chúc mừng năm mới"... Happy New Year in vietnamese... The pronunciation takes some getting used to (Vietnamese has 6 tones 😱) but you'll be saying it to everyone, so learn it fast! 😉
Reply to this Will the tourist buses from Saigon to Phnom Penh still be operating?
I'd like to be around for the 26th but need to head off to Cambodia soon after.
Reply to this This is an interesting blog re: Tet in Hanoi by a local travel blogger ...
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-362566.html
Chuc Mung Nam Moi - Happy New Year
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