Public Holidays

January 1 - Western New Year's Day

January or February - Tet; Vietnamese and Chinese New Year celebration; this most important Vietnamese festivity of the whole year is celebrated an entire week from the first to the seventh day of the new year according to the traditional moon calendar; as the celebration depends on the phases of the moon, not the sun, it is celebrated on different dates of the Western calendar; traditionally, during the Tet days large amounts of food are consumed, because the Tet days are considered an omen for the course of the entire year; the belief is that if you eat a lot during the Tet days, there will be enough food during the whole year.

February 3 - Founding Day of the Communist Party of Vietnam; national holiday

March - day to commemorate the Trung sisters, who in the year 41 of Christian reckoning led a rebellion against the Chinese rulers; movable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.

April 30 - Liberation Day of South Vietnam and Saigon; national holiday

May 1 - Labour Day; national holiday

May 19 - Ho Chi Minh's birthday; national holiday

May 28 - holiday in commemoration of the birth, the enlightenment and the death of the Buddha; national holiday

August - Trung Nguyen; Day of the Wandering Souls; on this day the souls of the dead are believed to wander to the habitats of their offspring; celebrations in Buddhist temples; food is spread on house altars for the souls of the deceased and fake money is burnt in honour of them; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.

September 2 - National Holiday

September 3 - Day to commemorate the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969; national holiday

September - Trung Thu - autumn celebration at which children parade through the streets with lanterns; for this celebration moon cakes are baked; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.

November - Birthday of Confucius; moveable holiday, as it depends on the moon calendar.