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Vietnam's festivals follow the Chinese lunar calendar – the country’s culture and festivals are strongly influenced by the country’s past as a Chinese vassal state. Thus many of the festivals in the list below are moveable relative to the Gregorian calendar; while the dates relative to the lunar calendar do not change, the dates relative to the Gregorian calendar do. Some of these festivals are celebrated nationwide; as some provinces have their own series of festivals unique to the locals, we’ve tried to include some of the more notable local ones too. Hoi An Full Moon Festival Every 14th day of the lunar month, Hoi An’s old town bans all motorized traffic and transforms itself into a massive performance venue for Vietnamese arts contemporary to the old trading town’s heyday in the 18th to 19th century – Chinese opera, Chinese chess, and of course, the region’s famous food. Shops put up brightly-colored lanterns, turning the narrow old streets (even theold Japanese bridge, pictured at left) into a radiant, festively-illuminated light spectacle, augmented by the haunting strains of traditional music audible from just about everywhere in the old town. Just for the night, you won’t be required to buy or show a ticket to enter Hoi An’s old attractions. The temples are at their busiest during the Full Moon Festival, as the locals honor their ancestors during this auspicious time of the month. Tet Festival Tet is Vietnam's equivalent to the Chinese New Year, and is just as auspicious . The Vietnamese consider Tet to be the year's most important festival. Family members gather in their hometowns, traveling from across the country (or the world) to spend the Tet holidays in each other's company. On the stroke of midnight, as the old year turns into the new, Vietnamese usher out the old year and welcome the Kitchen God by beating drums, lighting firecrackers, and goading dogs to bark (a lucky omen). Lim Festival On the 13th day of the first lunar month, visitors come to Lim Hill in Bac Ninh province to watch performances of "quan ho", traditional songs performed by both men and women from boats and from the Lim Pagoda. The songs cover numerous topics, such as greetings, exchanging love sentiments, and even trivial objects like village gates. Bac Ninh is only twenty minutes' drive from Hanoi, and worth a side trip after exploring the capital's must-see sights. Huong Pagoda Festival The Perfume Pagoda is Vietnam's most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site, welcoming hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who arrive at the sacred cave to pray for a happy and prosperous year ahead. This stream of pilgrims reaches its peak at the Perfume Pagoda Festival - devotees travel through a picturesque gauntlet to the sacred caves, first boarding boats that pass a landscape of rice paddies and limestone mountains, then going by foot past historical shrines and up hundreds of stone steps. Phu Giay Festival At Phu Giay Temple in Nam Dinh province, tribute is paid to Lieu Hanh, one of the Vietnamese "four immortal gods", and the only one based on a real person (a princess of the 16th century who died young). Many devotees from all over make a pilgrimage to Phu Giay Temple, located about 55 miles east from Hanoi, to join the festival, taking advantage of the traditional lull in work during the third lunar month. Traditional diversions like cock-fighting, "keo chu", and folk singing are held all throughout the festival. Hue Festival A biennial (once every two years) festival celebrated in the former imperial capital of Hue, the Hue Festival last took place from April 7 to 15, 2012, and the next one is scheduled to occur on April 12 to 20, 2014. The Festival condenses the best of Hue’s culture into a single week-long festival: theater, puppetry, dance, music, and acrobatics will be performed in different places around the city, although most of the activities are conducted around the grounds of the Hue Citadel. Chu Dong Tu Festival Downstream from Hanoi on the Red River, the Da Hoa and Da Trach temples in Khoai Chau district host a festival to Chu Dong Tu, one of the four immortal gods worshiped by the Vietnamese. The festival is topped off with traditional games and activities like human chess, wrestling, and Vietnamese dances. Thay Pagoda Festival If any Buddhist monk deserved worship, it was Tu Dao Hanh, innovator and inventor. He made numerous advances in medicine and religion, but is mainly remembered for inventing Vietnamese water puppetry. The Thay Pagoda Festival celebrates Tu Dao Hanh's life with a procession of the monk's worshipping tablet, borne by representatives from four villages. The festival is celebrated by laymen with many water puppetry performances, particularly at the Thuy Dinh House in front of Tu Dao Hanh's pagoda. The Thay Pagoda is located about 18 miles southwest from Hanoi, or about a 30 minute drive from the capital. Hung Festival This festival celebrates the legendary birth of Vietnam’s first kings, the Hung Vuong. Details of their origin remain sketchy, but the story has become rather embellished over the years: born from the union of a mountain princess and a sea dragon, the Hung Vuong came from a hundred sons hatched from a hundred eggs laid by said princess. Half the sons went back to the sea with their father, while the rest stayed behind with their mother and learned to rule. Lang Ca Ong (Whale Festival) Vietnamese fishermen believe whales are their protectors on the high seas. The Lang Ca Ong festival thanks the whales for their support and prays for prosperity in the coming year. This festival occurs in the middle of the third lunar month, and is common in fishing communities throughout Vietnam. Devotees offer prayers to the whale god for his continued protection, and proffer sacrifices (which do not contain seafood). At dawn on the second day, a fluvial procession is performed to propitiate the whale gods. The Whale Festival takes place on most of the month of April. Buon Don Elephant Races Vietnam’s Buon Don district has long been famous for its M’Nong wild elephant tamers and trainers. Demand for their skills may have dried up somewhat, but Buon Don continues to celebrate its proud heritage every year with its annual Elephant Races, held every year in the forests near the Sevepoi River. The race takes place on a short racetrack a mile or so long, set on level ground. Each elephant is ridden by two jockeys; one steers the elephant, while the other manages the animal’s speed. Elephants can move at a surprisingly fast clip (25 mph), especially when encouraged by crowds yelling and beating gongs! Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday is celebrated with much gusto in Vietnam, despite its nominal Communist status. Most Buddhist temples and many towns throw great festivals in honor of the Buddha, drawing thousands of devotees from nearby towns. Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn festival, or Tết Trung Thu, is marked with fanciful lanterns to help a legendary moon-bound figure back to Earth. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a favorite with children, as the occasion calls for more toys, candies, fruit, and entertainment than any other time of the year. Mid-Autumn parties serve cakes like the banh deo and banh nuong, shaped like fish and the moon. Finally, lion dances are commonly performed by traveling troupers who go from house to house to perform for a fee.

The "ao dai" ("flowing tunic") has been the traditional dress for Vietnamese women long, long ago. There are many different kinds of ao dai: the four-part flowing tunic had two equal front flaps that women tied together, while the five-part flowing tunic had an additional small front flap that buttoned up onto the right side of the dress. Different regions of the country have their own styles of flowing tunic. In the north, Vietnamese women usually wear the four-part flowing tunic, refers to as "Ao Tu Than", with a long skirt. The hat is called "Non Quai Thao". On the right, instead of wearing "non quai thao", Nothern women just simply wear a scarf as a variety. In the Central Region, and in the South of Vietnam, "ao dai" is worn. It is a long flowing tunic that consists of only 2 parts and is worn over a loose-fitting pair of either white, black, or colored pants. However, the white pants are usually preferred over the others. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. It is also buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist. There are many stylish variations in color and collar design. White, or violet ao dai is also worn by Vietnamese students as their uniforms. The cone-shaped hat is called "non la". Non la in these two pictures is more for posing and decorating. In reality, non la is more functional than decorative. It is used indeed like a hat to protect one from the heat and the sun in everyday life situation. However, in weddings (brides), festivals, or any formal event, a headdress (a diadem - as in the middle picture) is usually preferred. Note: neither non la, nor the headdress is required to be worn with ao dai. Men Attire Anyone who has seen the exquisite costumes worn by Vietnamese women will recognize similarities in the traditional dress of the male. Men costumes are worn with the conventional snug collar and buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist, with no crease in front or back. The male dress extends only to the knees and is more loose-fitting. There are many variations on the basic theme. At the top of the list is the elaborate dress of the emperor and the mandarins. Their rank was shown in the display of color in the brocade and embroideries. Gold brocade with embroidered dragons was for the emperor only. Gold is the national color and the dragon heads the fabulous mythical animal world. Purple is the color reserved for high-ranking court mandarins, while blue is for those of lower rank. Costumes worn for religious ceremonies also have their special colors. Dresses for ceremonial occasions usually have very wide and ample sleeves. Wedding dresses are similar to the popular fashions, and the color is usually purple or blue brocade. Dresses for mourning have frayed fringes or a line up the back and may be either black or white in color.

Most travelers to Vietnam are attracted by the country’s wonderful natural beauty: From the green rice fields in the north to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south. Vietnam however is also a country with a long history and ancient traditions. It has many historic attractions and old temples. An overview of the most amazing tourist attractions in Vietnam. 1. Nha Trang Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most popular seaside resort town located along the second most beautiful bays in the country. It features beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It’s also the scuba diving center of Vietnam. 2. Cu Chi Tunnels The Cu Chi Tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located about 40 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during the Vietnam War, and were the base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968. The tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system. 3.Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output. Subsequently, life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the river, and all the villages are often accessible by river rather than by road. 4. Mui Ne The formerly little-inhabited beach south of the fishing village of Mui Ne has seen some serious development in the last 15 years. Due to strong sea breezes it is a popular destination in Vietnam for kite- and windsurfing. No trip to Mui Ne is complete without a trip to the famous sand dunes located a short distance north of the town. The vast sandy expanse provide some great panoramic views especially during sunset. 5. Sa Pa Terraces Sa Pa is a town in northwest Vietnam not far from the Chinese border. Rice terraces can be found in the Muong Hoa valley between Sa Pa town and the Fansipan Mountain, on a backdrop of thick bamboo woodlands. Local mountain people, the Hmong, Giay, Dao, Tay, and Giay, grow rice and corn on these paddy terraces, along with vegetables. 6. Phu Quoc Located in front of the Cambodia coast, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is what Phuket would be if it hadn’t been overrun by development. The island features pristine tropical forests, undamaged coral reefs and great beaches. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), was chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches. Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world. 7. Hoi An This fishing-village-turned-tourist-attraction is situated on the coast of the South China Sea. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops. It is sometimes called the “Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town. 8. Hoan Kiem Lake (Hanoi) Located in the historical center of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as the locals’ favorite leisure spot. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later he returned the sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake. 9. Thien Mu Pagoda (Hue) With seven stories, the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. The pagoda overlooks the Perfume River and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital. The temple was built in 1601 during the rule of the Nguyễn Lords. The initial temple was very simply constructed, but over time it was redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features. 10. Ha Long Bay Ha Long Bay is situated in north Vietnam round a 120 kilometer long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen.

 National public holidays of Vietnam in 2015 Day Date Holiday Comments Thursday January 01 New Years Day   Friday January 02 New Years Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat. 27 Dec 2014 Sunday February 15 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Monday February 16 Tet Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat 14 Feb Tuesday February 17 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Wednesday February 18 Tet Eve Vietnamese New Year Eve Thursday February 19 Tet Nguyen Dan Vietnamese New Year Friday February 20 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Saturday February 21 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Sunday February 22 Tet Holiday Vietnamese New Year Tuesday April 28 Hung Kings Temple Festival Gio To Hung Vuong Wednesday April 29 Public Holiday Public Sector. Compensated by Sat. 25 April Thursday April 30 Reunification Day Marks the fall of Saigon in 1975 Friday May 01 International Labour Day   Wednesday September 02 National Day Marks Vietnam's declaration of independence in 1945