Saigon Festivals, Holidays & Events – Calendar overview of celebrations

A note on the lunar calendar

Before the calendar itself, one thing is worth understanding, because it affects when most of these events in Ho Chi Minh City actually happen.

Many of the festivals you will come across in Saigon follow the lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon, rather than the Gregorian calendar the West uses, which follows the sun. This means most of the traditional festivals in Ho Chi Minh City fall on a different date every year, and some can even shift between months from one year to the next. The city’s biggest celebrations, Tet, the Cho Lon Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn among them, are all lunar, so their dates move.

The national public holidays are the exception. Reunification Day, which is one of the most significant days of the year in Saigon, along with National Day, New Year’s Day and Labour Day, all fall on fixed Gregorian dates that are the same every year.

The practical takeaway is simple: if you see a date for one of Ho Chi Minh City’s lunar festivals in an older guide or a news article, it is almost certainly not the date for the year you are travelling. Always check the current year’s date before you plan around one.

Ho Chi Minh City event calendar: a quick overview

Here is the year at a glance, so you can see what is on during your visit. Lunar festivals shift each year, so the months shown are where they usually fall. Events marked as a public holiday are when government offices, banks and many businesses close.

A few things to note from the table. The busiest and most disruptive period by far is Tet, when much of the city closes for several days, so plan around it. Reunification Day and National Day also bring closures and big domestic travel crowds. The River Festival and Tourism Week move each year and are announced closer to the time, so check current dates. Everything else runs alongside normal city life, with shops, restaurants and sights staying open.

Festivals, holidays and events in Ho Chi Minh City

Here is each of the festivals, holidays and events in Ho Chi Minh City in turn, running through the year, with what it is and what to expect as a visitor. The timing is shown in brackets, with the usual month for the lunar festivals that move.

New Year’s Day (1 January)

The Western New Year is a public holiday in Vietnam, though a fairly low-key one by day. The real event is the night before, when the city holds its countdown and fireworks. Everything you need is in our guide to New Year’s Eve in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tet, Vietnamese New Year (late January or February)

Tet is the biggest event in Vietnam by a wide margin, the Lunar New Year, and the one time the city genuinely changes. Many businesses close for several days, locals travel home to their families, and the usual chaos of Saigon quiets right down. It is a fascinating time to be here, but it needs planning around, and our full guide to Tet in Ho Chi Minh City covers what stays open and what to expect.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street (around Tet, late January or February)

For about a week around Tet, the pedestrian boulevard of Nguyen Hue is transformed into an enormous flower display, with elaborate floral installations, themed for the zodiac animal of the year, running its full length. It is one of the most popular things to do in the city over Tet, free to walk, and busy day and night. It is one part of the wider Nguyen Hue Walking Street, which is worth seeing at any time of year.

Lang Ong Ba Chieu Festival (7th day of Tet, February)

Held just after Tet at the tomb of Le Van Duyet, the revered general who governed the old Gia Dinh citadel, this is one of Saigon’s most important local festivals and recognised as national intangible heritage. The ceremonies follow old imperial court rituals, with flag-raising, offerings and traditional southern opera performances, and it draws big crowds from across the city. It is a genuinely local occasion, held in Binh Thanh, and a window into the southern traditions that shaped the city.

Jade Emperor Pagoda Festival (9th day of the 1st lunar month, February)

The Jade Emperor Pagoda in District 1 is the most atmospheric temple in the city, and on the Jade Emperor’s birthday it is packed. Worshippers pour in through clouds of incense smoke to pray for good fortune, health and children, releasing birds and turtles and filling the small temple to overflowing. It is intense, smoky and crowded, and one of the most vivid religious occasions you can witness in central Saigon.

Lantern Festival, Tet Nguyen Tieu (15th day of the 1st lunar month, February or March)

Two weeks after Tet, the first full moon of the lunar year brings the Lantern Festival, and in Ho Chi Minh City the place to be is Chinatown. The Chinese-Vietnamese community of Cho Lon fills the streets with red lanterns, lion and dragon dances, and processions, and the temples and assembly halls, including Thien Hau, are thick with incense and crowds. It is one of the most spectacular and least touristy nights of the year in Saigon, and genuinely worth planning around if your visit lines up with it.

Ao Dai Festival (around March)

The ao dai, the elegant traditional Vietnamese dress, gets its own annual festival in Ho Chi Minh City, usually in spring. Held around the city’s landmarks, it features shows, exhibitions and thousands of people, locals and visitors alike, wearing the ao dai for photos against the colonial backdrops of District 1. It is a modern, photogenic city event rather than an ancient tradition, and a nice one to catch if you are here for it.

Thien Hau Lady Procession (23rd day of the 3rd lunar month, March or April)

The other big day for the Chinese-Vietnamese community, this festival honours Thien Hau, the sea goddess, at her temple in Cho Lon. The highlight is the procession: a statue of the goddess is carried through the streets on a palanquin, followed by lion and dragon dancers, musicians and crowds of devotees in their finest. It is colourful, loud and deeply local, centred on the beautiful Thien Hau Pagoda.

Hung Kings’ Commemoration Day (10th day of the 3rd lunar month, April)

A national public holiday honouring the legendary Hung Kings, the founders of Vietnam. The main commemorations happen up north at the Hung Temple, but in Ho Chi Minh City the pagodas hold their own rituals and offerings, and it is a day off for locals. For visitors it passes fairly quietly. Our guide to the Hung Kings’ Festival explains the history.

Reunification Day (30 April)

One of the most significant days of the year in Saigon, marking the fall of the city and the end of the war in 1975. Flags go up across the city, there are parades and cultural performances, the Reunification Palace becomes the focal point, and there are often fireworks. It is a national public holiday and, combined with Labour Day, creates a long break and a domestic travel peak. See our guides to Reunification Day and the Reunification Palace.

Labour Day (1 May)

International Labour Day is a public holiday that falls right after Reunification Day, and the two together give the country one of its longest breaks of the year. Expect closures, crowds at attractions, and busy transport as locals travel. More in our guide to International Labour Day.

Buddha’s Birthday, Vesak (15th day of the 4th lunar month, May)

One of the most important days in the Buddhist calendar, marked at temples across Ho Chi Minh City with ceremonies, lanterns and the ritual bathing of Buddha statues. It is a serene, spiritual occasion rather than a street party, and the temples are at their most beautiful. Our guide to Buddha’s Birthday has more.

Ho Chi Minh City River Festival (varies, usually mid-year)

A modern celebration of the Saigon River and the city’s relationship with it, held across the riverfront at spots like the Nha Rong wharf, Saigon Riverside Park and Binh Dong wharf. The programme changes each year but usually includes art and music performances, water sports, a river food week, and displays of southern Vietnamese culture, all making use of the waterway that built the city. It is one of the newer events on the calendar and a good excuse to see Saigon from the water. The dates shift from year to year, so check the current schedule.

Ong Pagoda Festival (24th day of the 6th lunar month, July or August)

A Chinatown temple festival centred on Ong Pagoda, also known as Nghia An Hoi Quan, dedicated to Guan Yu, the red-faced general-deity of the Three Kingdoms. The festival brings lion and dragon dances, traditional opera and statue-bathing rituals to District 5, and it is another chance to see the living traditions of the Chinese-Vietnamese community up close, away from the tourist trail.

Bastille Day (14 July)

A small reminder of the French chapter of the city’s history, marked mainly by the French community and a few venues around town. It is minor and not something to plan around, but worth knowing about if you are in the city in mid-July and curious about the colonial connection.

Vu Lan, Wandering Souls’ Festival (15th day of the 7th lunar month, August)

Falling in the seventh lunar month, the Ghost Month, Vu Lan is one of the most important Buddhist festivals of the year, a day for honouring ancestors and the dead. Temples across Ho Chi Minh City fill with people making offerings, and it is considered second only to Tet in spiritual weight. Our guide to Ghost Month explains the beliefs behind it.

National Day (2 September)

Vietnam’s independence day, marking the declaration of independence in 1945, and a major national public holiday. Ho Chi Minh City marks it with flags, ceremonies and fireworks, and the long weekend around it is one of the busiest domestic travel periods of the year. More in our guide to National Day.

Mid-Autumn Festival, Tet Trung Thu (15th day of the 8th lunar month, September or October)

The lantern festival, and a favourite with children and families. Ho Chi Minh City fills with mooncakes, lion dances and lanterns, and the best place to experience it is Cho Lon, where Luong Nhu Hoc street in District 5 becomes a river of glowing lanterns. Our full guide to the Mid-Autumn Festival in Ho Chi Minh City covers where to go and what to expect.

Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon (varies)

The city’s biggest annual road race, taking runners through the streets and past the landmarks of central Saigon, with distances from a full marathon down to a short fun run. It draws a big international field, and the date shifts from year to year, so check the current schedule if you want to run it or avoid the road closures.

Culture Day (24 November)

A newly established national public holiday, first introduced in 2026, dedicated to Vietnamese culture and heritage. As a new holiday, exactly how Ho Chi Minh City marks it will develop over the coming years, but expect cultural events and it being a day off.

Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week (early December)

An annual year-end festival that kicks off the festive season, combining tourism, food, music and shopping events across the city, often centred on the riverfront and District 1. The dates are set each year, so check closer to the time, but it usually runs in the first half of December.

Christmas (24 and 25 December)

Not a public holiday and not a religious one for most Vietnamese, but commercially huge, and Ho Chi Minh City goes all out with lights and decorations. The big night is Christmas Eve. Our guide to Christmas in Ho Chi Minh City has the full picture.

New Year’s Eve (31 December)

The year ends with a countdown and fireworks, centred on Nguyen Hue and the riverfront. It is a big, lively night out, and everything is covered in our guide to New Year’s Eve in Ho Chi Minh City.