How Hoi An Prepared for Tết
When we planned our stay in Hoi An, we deliberately scheduled four weeks around Tết, Vietnam’s Lunar New Year. We hoped to experience the country’s biggest holiday, but we didn’t realize the celebrations would begin weeks before New Year’s Day as the entire town gradually transformed.
Our introduction to Tết came on the day we arrived, when we accidentally stumbled upon a Kumquat Festival in a nearby park. It was our first encounter with the fruit-laden kumquat trees that are one of the traditional symbols of the holiday. We soon discovered they were only the beginning.
Flowers Everywere
About a week into our stay, we woke up to streets suddenly lined with flowers. Yellow and red chrysanthemums dominated the temporary flower markets that had appeared almost overnight.
At first, it seemed strange to me. Back home, chrysanthemums are associated with autumn, while Tết celebrates the arrival of spring. In Vietnam, however, their yellow and red blossoms symbolize luck and prosperity, although flowers of many other colours were also on display.
Each passing day brought another sign that Tết was drawing closer. Parks and town squares filled with elaborate floral displays. Pagodas overflowed with flowers. Schoolyards displayed colourful festive flags.
Every building along our street—from tiny cafés and family-run shops to private homes—was decorated with flowers and lanterns. Entire streets were strung with lights and flags as communities prepared together for the country’s most important holiday.
As Tết approached, banquet tables appeared in those same streets, where neighbours gathered to share meals and, more often than not, karaoke.
The flower markets grew larger every day.
Alongside the chrysanthemums came towering kumquat trees heavy with fruit and flowering yellow apricot trees, gradually turning the town into one enormous botanical garden.
What struck me most was how widespread the preparations were. This wasn’t something happening only in the tourist areas or city centre. Every neighbourhood seemed to be taking part, making it feel as though the whole town was preparing for Tết together.
Ancient Traditions
But flowers were only one part of the preparations.
While exploring the Ancient Town, we came across families setting tables laden with food right in the street.
We later learned they were celebrating Kitchen Gods’ Day, an important milestone in the lead-up to Tết.
Another tradition associated with Kitchen Gods’ Day is releasing live fish into rivers and lakes.
For several days, street vendors did brisk business selling fish from tanks set up along the sidewalks.
Burning paper offerings for ancestors is another tradition widely practiced before Tết. We saw people burning paper clothing, gold, food, and even paper cars and mobile phones, believing these symbolic gifts would reach their ancestors in the afterlife.
One afternoon we even watched a man burn a large white paper horse, apparently to help the Kitchen Gods on their journey to heaven.
It was one of many moments that reminded us how many layers of tradition surrounded the holiday.
How We Prepared for Tết
Our own preparations looked rather different.
Because Tết is Vietnam’s biggest holiday, much of everyday life comes to a pause. Many local restaurants were closing for up to ten days, while neighbourhood markets and grocery stores shut their doors for three.
Tourist-oriented businesses near the Ancient Town mostly remained open, but we preferred eating where the locals did, so we needed a plan.
That meant stocking up on food before everything closed, which led to frequent trips to our neighbourhood market.
With each visit I could feel the festive energy building.
The market became busier every day, prices crept upward, and new vendors appeared along the surrounding streets.
They sold seasonal treats, enormous pomelos decorated with gold and red ornaments, and green watermelons carved with gilded horses and carp.
One lunchtime, the market seemed strangely deserted even though the produce remained neatly displayed.
As I examined a seemingly abandoned fruit stall, the owner hurried over and explained that all the vendors were having lunch together in the middle of the market building.
While paying for my guavas and dragon fruit, I heard one of them suddenly launch into an enthusiastic karaoke performance. Judging by the applause and laughter, everyone else enjoyed it much more than I did.
We decided to make one final shopping trip on the morning of Tết Eve before the market closed for the next three days.
It was pandemonium.
The market spilled far beyond its usual boundaries into the surrounding streets. Motorcycles outnumbered pedestrians as everyone rushed to finish their last-minute shopping.
It was chaotic, deafening, confusing—and immensely entertaining.
Welcoming the New Year
We also received a few unexpected surprises ourselves.
One morning we stepped outside our apartment to find the courtyard suddenly filled with potted flowers.
Later that day, our Airbnb host presented us with a small Tết gift.
It was a simple gesture, but it made us feel included in the celebration despite being visitors.
Finally, Tết Eve arrived.
We had heard there would be a procession through the Ancient Town starting at 7 p.m., so we headed there full of anticipation. We wandered the streets but never found it.
Instead, we found ourselves in enormous crowds. Every street, square, and riverside walkway was packed with visitors.
After an hour of slowly shuffling through the Ancient Town, we decided we’d had enough.
On our way home, we stopped by the central park, where a Tết concert was underway. Unfortunately, the music was so loud that we didn’t stay long.
There were countdown fireworks scheduled for midnight, but we decided to leave.
As it turned out, we didn’t miss the fireworks entirely.
They woke us up around midnight. They sounded like cannons firing just outside our apartment, even though the display was actually several kilometres away.
Unable to sleep, we went on the upper terrace and watched them, having our own unexpected little Tết celebration after all.
A Quieter Beginning to the Year
The next morning we went to Chùa Chúc Thánh, one of the oldest pagodas in Hoi An.
The biggest contrast with our Tết Eve in the Ancient Town was hard to imagine. The pagoda was filled with flowers and people, but instead of tourist crowds filling streets, restaurants, and shops, we found local families gathered together to pray, bring offerings, and socialize.
We wandered quietly through the grounds, trying not to disturb the prayers while taking in the details around us.
The place was peaceful and busy at the same time, filled with a quiet sense of joy.
After the noise and crowds of the previous evening, we found it to be the perfect place to welcome the New Year.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, we realized our favourite Tết memories weren’t tied to a single event at all.
They came from spending four weeks watching Hoi An gradually transform—from flower markets appearing on ordinary streets and neighbours gathering for shared meals to bustling markets, quiet moments at the pagoda, and families welcoming the New Year together.
It’s one of the reasons we love slow travel: staying long enough to witness not just the celebration itself, but everything that leads up to it.
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