Tet (Lunar New Year) is the biggest and most important festival in Vietnam. This year it fell on January 26th which meant we got to see the celebrations. The days leading up to Tet were awesome. The markets were bustling even more then usual and the streets were brimming with flower markets; a brilliant sea of bright yellow, orange and green. Homes, hotels, and restaurants were brightly decorated and motorists balanced several pots of flowers and kumquat trees on their bikes. Quite a sight. New Year’s Eve was celebrated with music and fireworks and on the following days we were treated to dragon and lion dances and other traditional ceremonies. What more could we ask for?
Tet is a great time to be in Vietnam. Just one word of note though. If you do plan on traveling in Vietnam during this time, you will need to take into account that many businesses are closed and most people go home to be with family so finding accommodations and arranging for transport can be more difficult then usual. We were also told that the roads would be much quieter for a few days after the 26th, but we didn’t notice a significant difference. There may have been a slight decline in honking and few thousand less motorbikes on the road but that is just a drop in the bucket. 
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