HÀ NỘI — As domestic travel takes centre stage during the Lunar New Year (Tết) 2026, experts have suggested lesser-known ways to experience the holiday that are deeply imbued with Việt Nam's cultural identity — from southern pilgrimages to visiting a 1,200-year-old stone village in the northern highlands.

Recently, Branavan Aruljothi, Country Director of Booking.com Việt Nam, recommended seven distinctive ways to explore Tết in Việt Nam, offering insights that even seasoned travellers may find new.

A silent New Year vigil on Côn Đảo

While fireworks and countdown celebrations light up much of the country, New Year’s Eve on Côn Đảo is markedly subdued. At midnight, Côn Đảo becomes an “island of candles” as locals gather at Hàng Dương Cemetery to pay tribute to national heroes.

From around 10pm until the early hours of the morning, travellers join a silent procession through incense smoke and flickering candlelight, a solemn and moving ritual grounded in gratitude rather than festivity.

Charcoal Tết of Giẻ Triêng people (Quảng Ngãi)

In the Central Highlands, the Giẻ Triêng ethnic group welcomes the New Year by covering one another in charcoal. Young men venture into the forest to burn wood into charcoal, carry it back to the village, and then mix and playfully throw it over fellow villagers.

The belief is simple: the more charcoal on one’s body, the greater the good luck in the year ahead. The ritual is joyful and deeply communal.

Royal splendour at the Nêu Pole-erecting ceremony in Huế

In the ancient capital of Huế, Tết begins with the traditional Nêu Pole-erecting ceremony, recreated according to the Nguyễn Dynasty’s court rites. Inside the Imperial Citadel, guards dressed in 19th-century royal attire erect Cây Nêu, a tall bamboo pole believed to ward off evil spirits.

The ceremony marks the official start of the Tết holiday for the royal court and offers visitors a rare glimpse into historic palace rituals. The reenactment is staged exclusively during Tết.

Five-fruit trays and floating flower boats in Cần Thơ

In southern Việt Nam, Tết unfolds amidst river life and creative calligraphy. Families prepare the traditional five-fruit tray — custard apple, coconut, papaya, and mango — symbolising hopes for a prosperous and fulfilled year.

At dawn, Cái Răng Floating Market comes alive with boats laden with Tết flowers, transforming the river into a vibrant floating garden. This is how many Mekong Delta communities welcome the New Year.

Timeless heritage in Cao Bằng’s stone village

In Việt Nam’s northeastern border region, Tết arrives against a backdrop of dramatic mountains. In Khuổi Kỵ Village, Tày ethnic people live in stone stilt houses dating back more than 1,200 years.

Their Tết is marked by folk singing and quiet spring excursions to Bản Giốc Waterfall, creating an atmosphere that is simple and serene, far removed from the noise and bustle of urban life.

Lion dances on ancient streets of Hội An

Lion dances are common during Tết, but few settings are as evocative as Hội An. The beat of drums echoes through narrow alleys, weaving past centuries-old yellow-walled houses.

Between performances, locals and visitors gather for Bài Chòi, a unique form of folk art practiced in Việt Nam's central region and performed right on the streets.

A taste of old-style northern Tết in Đường Lâm ancient village

Just 50 kilometres from downtown Hà Nội, Đường Lâm preserves the rhythms of an older northern Tết. The village’s laterite houses, communal gates, and calligraphy scrolls create the feeling of stepping back in time.

Village elders gather to drink tea and perform ancestral rites, creating a tranquil scene that contrasts sharply with the fast-paced atmosphere of the capital. — VNA/VNS