Great Vietnamese Festivals Every Tourist Should Experience

One way to make your tour of Vietnam a memorable one is to plan it around the country’s festivals. Through these festivals, you get to experience and be part of the Vietnamese culture first-hand. Most of them are held at the beginning of the year. Below are some of the most celebrated Vietnamese festivals that are sure to turn your holiday into an extraordinary one.

Tet Nguyen Dan is an important traditional festival in Vietnam and celebrated to thank their gods for the onset of spring. The festival is marked by locals paying respect to their ancestors and getting together as families to usher in the New Year. During this festival, bustling cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi are less crowded as most people usually head to their rural hometowns to celebrate the festival with their families.

Perfume Pagoda is an important pilgrimage site that welcomes pilgrims to its sacred caves to pray for a happy and prosperous year ahead. To get to the caves, you will have to pass through a scenic landscape that consists of limestone mountains and rice paddies. You will also walk past hundreds of stone steps and historical shrines before you arrive at your ultimate destination.

Hue Festival is a music event held any time between April and June every two years in Hue city. At this festival, you will enjoy a fantastic array of performances, cultural events, and games that last a week. You will never experience a dull moment during the Hue Festival as there will be kite flying, boat racing, human chess, fashion shows, poetry, percussions, and drums. Also, you get to enjoy street performances, puppetry, acrobatics, film screenings, and art exhibitions.

Buddha’s birthday is an important festival celebrated by many devotees across Vietnam. During this festival, temples across the country are lavishly decorated, and locals bring fruit, flower garlands and Vietnamese dishes as an offering. You can choose to visit Hoi An, which is considered as the best place to celebrate this festival, and participate in street parades and prayer sessions.

This festival is held on the 14th of every month. During this festival, paper lanterns of various shapes, colours, and sizes are displayed. All restaurants, businesses, shops, and bars in the Ancient City stop using electricity and light up using lanterns and candles instead. Although the festival itself is held in Hoi An, it is most colourful in the Ancient Town.

This colourful festival is held in mid-September, and adults and children come together to enjoy many festivities. During the night, locals light lanterns. Here, you will get to enjoy biscuits, jellies, moon cakes and other foods. To top it all off, you will witness the famous Lion dance.

This festival is held on the 7th of September during the full moon. In Vietnamese culture, it is believed that ancestors pay their families a visit. The families go to Buddhist temples to offer respect to their loved ones and eat cakes and other food.

Lim Festival is held on the 12th and 13th of February to celebrate ‘Quan Ho’ singing. During this festival, people play local games such as wrestling, bamboo fighting, and tug of war. The main highlight of the festival is when the choir performs. Also, locals wear colourful traditional costumes as they sing their local folk songs. Through this festival, you get to learn about the rich culture and traditions of Vietnam.

This festival is held in Phu Giay Temple in honour of Mother Saint Lie Hanh . It is regarded as the most significant and original of all festivals in the Vietnam calendar. People dress in traditional costumes and carry bamboo relics decorated with beautiful ornaments. You get to participate in various local games and cultural activities during this festival.

This is a unique Vietnamese festival held in honour of Jie Zhitui, a loyal underman to the 7th Century Duke of Quin. Jie suffered neglect by the Duke, forcing him to retreat to the woods together with his mother. Later, when the Duke requested Jie to return to the city, he declined, prompting the Duke to light his house to force them back to the city. Jie refused and instead died in the fire.

The many festivals in Vietnam are a clear manifestation of the rich culture of its people. Taking part in these festivals will leave you with unforgettable memories of Vietnam’s beautiful landscape and admirable culture, before you go, remember that Visa’s are essential when visiting Vietnam.

Below are the few resources you should check before making an itinerary.

Cheap Internation Flights: Best place to find cheap international flight tickets.

Best Deals On Hotels: Places to find best deals on hotels.

Amazon: Best place for all your needs. Also, find best travel accessories.

Agoda: Best place to book hotels of your liking. Agoda provides the best solution & great offer while booking a hotel.

Skyscanner: Skyscanner compares various sites & sort the flights based on the rates. A great way to check flight cost. Although the only drawback is that rates are flexible. Hence, the cost might change while you are making the payment.

Jetradar: Jetradar is a comparing site which is just like Skyscanner. But, is much more accurate & much more handy in use.

Booking: Best place to book hostel rooms. There are plenty of options available & with so many properties booking becomes much easier.

Travel Insurance: There are numerous options available to get one. So, you can choose anything which suits your requirement. Make sure you read the terms & conditions before buying one.