An English guide to the Vietnamese outbound travel market
Market · Calendar
The Vietnamese holiday and travel calendar
Vietnamese outbound travel follows a handful of long breaks. Tet, the lunar new year, is the largest; for 2027 public employees have a seven-day break from 4 to 10 February. This page goes through the year, shows what is officially fixed and what is not, and works back from each break to the moment a campaign needs to be live.
The year at a glance
| When | What happens | How firm | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4–10 February 2027 | Tet break for public employees; Tet day falls on 6 February 2027 | Official (Ministry of Home Affairs notice) | Notice 11483/TB-BNV |
| After Tet, especially March | Demand for overseas trips rises | Survey finding (2025) | The Outbox Company |
| 30 April and 1 May | Five-day break in 2025; strong interest in trips abroad | Reported for 2025 | VOV, citing Agoda |
| 2–5 September 2027 | National Day break for public employees | Official (same notice) | Notice 11483/TB-BNV |
The date of Tet day itself is our reading of the notice: it places 10 February 2027 on the fifth day of the first lunar month, so the first day of the new year is 6 February.
Sources: Ha Tinh provincial portal — Ministry of Home Affairs notice 11483/TB-BNV on Tet and National Day 2027; Vietnam Economic News — The Outbox Company survey on Tet 2025 travel (commercial research); VOV — Vietnamese outbound travel in the first half of 2025 (NSO, JNTO and destination data) · last checked .
Tet: the long break, and when its dates are known
On 9 October 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs issued notice 11483/TB-BNV on the Tet and National Day breaks for 2027. Public employees get the five statutory Tet days, two before the new year and three after, plus two further days, as the notice sets out. The result is seven consecutive days, from Thursday 4 February to Wednesday 10 February 2027.
The ministry's August 2026 proposal had included a ten-day option, from Friday 5 to Sunday 14 February; the seven-day option was the one adopted. Private employers are not bound by the public-sector dates. They choose one of three permitted ways of placing the Tet days before and after the new year, and they must tell staff at least 30 days in advance.
Two things follow for a foreign destination. The official dates are known about four months ahead, which is late for a long-haul campaign but workable for short-haul trips. And many travellers in the private sector may learn their exact dates only about a month before Tet, since employers must announce at least 30 days ahead, which favours flexible products and late availability over fixed departures announced early.
Sources: Ha Tinh provincial portal — Ministry of Home Affairs notice 11483/TB-BNV on Tet and National Day 2027; Lawyers of Vietnam — Tet 2027 holiday options proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs · last checked .
Trips abroad tend to come after Tet
The Outbox Company survey for Tet 2025 found high interest in travel of both kinds: 94% of respondents interested in domestic travel and 97% indicating they were likely to travel abroad. But it also found that international trips tend to be planned for after the holiday, with demand for overseas travel rising significantly in March.
Tet is a family festival, and the first days of the new year are spent at home and visiting relatives. A destination that only advertises "Tet holidays" misses the larger window that follows. Campaigns for spring trips abroad can run through the Tet period itself, when families are together and planning.
Sources: Vietnam Economic News — The Outbox Company survey on Tet 2025 travel (commercial research) · last checked .
30 April, 1 May and the summer
Reunification Day on 30 April and International Labour Day on 1 May sit next to each other, and in 2025 they made a five-day break. VOV reported, citing data from the booking platform Agoda, that interest in international trips over that break surged.
Short-haul destinations do well in the April and May break, because five days fits a trip to South-East or North-East Asia without extra leave. The summer is longer and suits longer trips. Because the length of the April and May break depends on which weekdays the holidays fall on, check the official announcement each year before using a number in your own material.
Sources: VOV — Vietnamese outbound travel in the first half of 2025 (NSO, JNTO and destination data) · last checked .
National Day in September
National Day, 2 September, carries two statutory days off. For 2027 the Ministry of Home Affairs notice gives public employees 2 and 3 September, which with the weekend makes four days, Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 September. Private employers give 2 September plus either 1 or 3 September. Four days suits short-haul trips; it is the last long break before the run-up to the next Tet.
Sources: Ha Tinh provincial portal — Ministry of Home Affairs notice 11483/TB-BNV on Tet and National Day 2027 · last checked .
Working back from a break
- 01
Fix the travel window
Take the official public-sector dates as the anchor, and allow for private employers who place Tet days differently.
- 02
Set the booking window
Ask your Vietnamese tour operator partners how far ahead their customers book for your destination. Visa destinations need longer, to leave time for the application.
- 03
Brief the trade first
Agents need product, prices and visa guidance before consumer advertising starts, so that enquiries have somewhere to go.
- 04
Run consumer media
Place social and media activity while families are planning, including over Tet for trips in March and later.
- 05
Keep late availability
Hold some stock for travellers who only learn their dates a month ahead.
The trade calendar
Two fairs set the rhythm for the Vietnamese travel trade. VITM Hanoi took place from 10 to 12 April 2026, shortly before the April and May break; ITE HCMC ran from 27 to 29 August 2026 and returns on 9 to 11 September 2027; ITE HCMC has days open to the public when packages are sold. Fair dates make natural deadlines for new products and visa announcements; the fairs page has the detail.
Sources: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — VITM Hanoi 2026 event listing; ITE HCMC — organiser press release, 9 August 2026 · last checked .
What we have not confirmed
We could not read the official Labour Code text for this edition, so this page lists only the breaks for which we hold an official or reported source. School holiday dates, which shape family travel in summer, are set each school year and are not covered here. Check both with your Vietnamese partners before fixing campaign dates.
Common questions
Questions readers ask
When is Tet 2027?
The first day of the lunar new year falls on 6 February 2027. Public employees have a seven-day break from 4 to 10 February 2027.
Do Vietnamese travel abroad during Tet?
Some do, but a 2025 survey found international trips tend to be planned for after Tet, with demand rising in March.
How long is the National Day break in 2027?
Four days for public employees, from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 September 2027.
When do private-sector employees learn their Tet dates?
Employers must announce their chosen option at least 30 days before the holiday.
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