February in Vietnam is dominated by one date. Tet, the lunar new year, falls on Saturday 6 February 2027, and the week around it shuts the country down, fills every train and plane, and then leaves behind the quietest, cheapest fortnight of the first half of the year. The south is at its peak, the centre is drying out and the north is starting to warm.
Tet 2027: the dates and what they do
Tet Nguyen Dan begins on Saturday 6 February 2027 – mung 1, the first day of the Year of the Goat. The three most significant days are 6 to 8 February, and the national holiday typically runs a week or more, with many businesses closed from Tet Eve (Giao Thua) on 5 February.
The official 2027 holiday schedule had not been finalised at the time of writing – the Ministry of Home Affairs put forward two options of differing length. Confirm the dates before booking anything that depends on them.
What actually happens:
- Transport sells out weeks ahead. The whole country travels home. Trains, long-distance buses and domestic flights fill, and fares rise steeply.
- Family-run restaurants, shops, museums and some hotels close for several days. Cities that normally never stop go quiet.
- Prices spike and availability collapses in the week either side.
- It is also extraordinary. Kumquat trees and peach blossom on every motorbike, flower markets running through the night, temples full, and a genuine national pause.
The planning rule: either sit still somewhere good for the Tet week, or avoid that fortnight entirely. Trying to move around Vietnam during Tet is the single most common way to ruin a trip here.
The fortnight after Tet
Once the holiday ends, Vietnam becomes unusually pleasant for visitors: domestic travel collapses, hotels discount, sites are empty and the weather in the south and centre is good. If your dates are flexible, the two weeks after Tet are among the best value in the Vietnamese year.
Weather by region
- Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong and Phu Quoc – dry season, warm and sunny. February is peak season in the south and on the islands.
- Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue – the rainy season that runs September to December has largely finished. February is a good month in the centre, and it improves through the spring.
- Hanoi – around 23°C by day and 16°C at night, with roughly 75 mm of rain arriving as the fine persistent drizzle Vietnamese call mua phun. Warmer than January, still damp and often grey.
- Sapa and the far north – cold and foggy, with views a lottery. The terraces are bare.
Note that the climate figures shown on this page are for Hanoi. Vietnam runs 1,650 kilometres and has three separate climate zones that are rarely in step, which is why the regional breakdown above matters more than any single number.
The Perfume Pagoda and the festival season
Vietnam’s biggest religious festival season opens with Tet and runs for weeks afterwards. The Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), a day trip south-west of Hanoi, holds the largest of them: a boat journey up the Yen stream followed by a climb or cable car to a cave shrine, drawing enormous crowds from the sixth day of the lunar new year through to spring. It is crowded, chaotic and genuinely devotional rather than staged.
Prices and crowds
Three distinct markets in one month: the Tet fortnight is expensive and fully booked; the south and islands are in high season throughout; and the post-Tet weeks are quiet and discounted. The north is cheapest because its weather is poorest.
See how much a trip to Vietnam costs.
What to pack
Two wardrobes if you are covering the country: light clothing and sun protection for the south, plus a warm layer and a waterproof for Hanoi and Sapa, where damp 16°C in an unheated building feels considerably colder than the number. See the Vietnam packing list.
The February 2027 calendar
- Friday 5 February – Tet Eve; businesses begin closing.
- Saturday 6 February – Tet, the first day of the Year of the Goat.
- 6–8 February – the three core days; the national break typically extends a week or more.
- From about mid-February – the quietest and cheapest fortnight of the first half of the year.
- From the sixth day of the lunar year – the Perfume Pagoda festival opens and runs into spring.
Read alongside
- Vietnam in January – the south at its best and the Tet build-up.
- Vietnam in March – the most balanced month of the year.
- Best time to visit Vietnam – all twelve months compared.
- How much a trip to Vietnam costs – the numbers.
- Vietnam itinerary – and how to weight it by season.
- Getting around Vietnam – and why it stops working during Tet.
- Vietnam packing list – the two-climate version.
Frequently asked
When is Tet in 2027?
Saturday 6 February 2027, the first day of the Year of the Goat. The three core days are 6 to 8 February and the national break typically runs a week or more from Tet Eve on the 5th. The official 2027 schedule was still provisional at the time of writing.
Should I visit Vietnam during Tet?
Only if you can stay in one place. Travelling between cities during Tet is very difficult: transport sells out weeks ahead, prices spike and many businesses close. Staying put gives you one of the best atmospheres in Asia.
What is closed during Tet?
Family-run restaurants and shops, many museums and some hotels, for several days around the new year. Large hotels, international chains and major tourist sites generally stay open, but on reduced services.
Is February a good time to visit Vietnam?
Yes, with the Tet fortnight planned around. The south and islands are in peak dry season, the centre has come out of its rainy season, and the two weeks after Tet are quiet and discounted.
How warm is Hanoi in February?
About 23°C by day and 16°C at night, with roughly 75 mm of rain as persistent fine drizzle. Warmer than January but still damp and often grey.
Is Halong Bay good in February?
It is cool and frequently misty rather than blue, and cruises cancel in bad weather. The compensation is that after Tet it is about as quiet as the bay ever gets.
What is the Perfume Pagoda festival?
Vietnam’s largest religious festival, held south-west of Hanoi from the sixth day of the lunar new year into spring: a boat trip up the Yen stream and a climb or cable car to a cave shrine, drawing very large crowds.
Is Vietnam cheap in February?
It depends which fortnight. Tet week is the most expensive of the first half of the year; the two weeks afterwards are among the cheapest. The north is cheaper than the south throughout, because its weather is worse.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
