Celebrate Tet on spring roads

Backpacking to celebrate Tet

For many years now, Mr. Tran Huy's family on Nguyen Huu Cau Street (Hai Duong City) has chosen to celebrate Lunar New Year in a special way - by packing their backpacks and going.

From Tet 2023, after taking care of Tet for both sides of the family, invited by his cousin, Mr. Tran Huy and his wife decided to drive on a 3-day, 2-night tour (from the 2nd to the 4th day of Tet) with the destination being Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.

Celebrating Tet for the first time in a highland village, Mr. Tran Huy was quite surprised to see many families also coming here to celebrate Tet. In addition to Vietnamese people, there were also many young people from Europe.

In the middle of the vast space with the stretching fields, in the distance are the traditional stilt houses of the Thai people nestled at the foot of the winding mountains.... Mr. Tran Huy and his wife and their two children leisurely ride their bicycles, participate in traditional folk games; immerse themselves in the space of gong sounds and typical dishes of the Thai people. Seeing his wife leisurely, not having to be busy in the kitchen; hearing the innocent laughter of the children when playing in the middle of nature... Mr. Tran Huy clearly feels the simple but warm joy.

According to Mr. Ha Van Tien, owner of Green Homestay in Mai Chau district (Hoa Binh), a month before Tet, there were already guests booking rooms for the Tet holidays.

In recent years, Mr. Tien's homestay has often had Western tourists staying during Tet. Tourists who spend Tet in Lac village will have the opportunity to witness and participate in the Tet customs of the Thai people here. These activities are not only new to tourists, but also bring interesting experiences when taking place in the middle of a peaceful, airy village, in the typical spring atmosphere of the North.

“My family sells rooms on booking so there are quite a lot of Western guests booking rooms. They are extremely excited about the Tet activities of the Thai people. In recent years, many families in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Hai Phong and many other provinces have also chosen Lac village as their destination during Tet," said Mr. Tien.

Instead of celebrating Tet for a week like before, many Thai households in Lac village only celebrate Tet for 2 days: the 30th and the 1st of Tet, and on the 2nd they open their doors to welcome guests. Service fees on these days are about 15% higher than usual, as a little New Year's gift for those who work during Tet.

6 km from Moc Chau town, Eco House Moc Chau (La Nga 1 village, Muong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province) is sought after by many tourists thanks to its spacious space, colorful flowers and grass, especially the many peach, apricot and plum trees blooming right on Tet holiday.

Talking about welcoming guests during Tet, the owner of Eco House Moc Chau, Mr. Nguyen Van Truong, excitedly shared: A month before Tet, Eco House Moc Chau has almost all rooms booked for the 2nd to 5th of Tet. Room rates have increased by about 25% compared to normal days, but visitors are still very comfortable because during the Tet holidays, Eco House Moc Chau provides food and beverage services for visitors; entertainment areas in Moc Chau also organize many activities for visitors to explore and experience.

“During Tet, the weather, trees and landscape in Moc Chau are extremely beautiful. What could be more interesting than after a day of walking among the pristine plum gardens, the brilliant mustard gardens... in the evening, the whole family gathers to grill food on a charcoal stove. Parents and children chat and take care of each other. Tet is not at home but the joy is still complete”, shared Ms. Thu An - a tourist who has come and returned to Moc Chau many times.

Trends of people who love to travel

After the first time celebrating Tet in Mai Chau - Hoa Binh, in 2024, Mr. Tran Huy and his wife decided to invite both paternal and maternal grandparents to celebrate Tet far away with the destination being Ha Giang.

Celebrating Tet for the first time in Lo Lo Chai village (Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang) - a village as beautiful as a fairy tale with peaceful and beautiful houses - not only Tran Huy's family but also Tom's grandparents were very excited.

Witnessing the Tet customs in the highlands, talking with the Lo Lo and Mong people of Ha Giang, his family also discovered many interesting things from the cultural values ​​that the ethnic people on the rocky plateau are preserving.

Mr. Huy shared that at tourist destinations in Ha Giang such as Quan Ba ​​Twin Mountains, Ma Pi Leng Peak, Lung Cu Flagpole... Tet holidays are quite bustling. The people Mr. Tran Huy met on the road are mostly young families from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh... Busy with work all year round, taking advantage of the long holidays, instead of celebrating Tet at home, these families also choose to celebrate Tet at tourist destinations - both to enjoy the beautiful nature when spring comes and for the whole family to have fun and rest properly. Many families also said that in the past 5 years, every time Tet comes, the whole family goes on a trip together. For them, where Tet is is not too important, what is important is that the family is together.

Grasping the trend of many tourists traveling far away during the Lunar New Year holidays, in recent years, about 3 months before Tet, travel companies have started to launch many tours departing from the 2nd to the 5th of Tet with attractive destinations: from majestic highlands with white apricot and plum blossoms, to clear blue seas with unique experiential activities.

In particular, the Northwest - Northeast region with places such as Hoa Binh, Moc Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang... are always the destinations chosen by many tourists because of the beautiful spring natural scenery and unique traditional festivals that only take place when spring comes.

The cost for each trip is also quite reasonable, averaging about 1,200,000 - 1,500,000 VND/day/person (if departing from Hai Duong, Hanoi...) including transportation, food, accommodation and entrance tickets to tourist areas. To meet the needs of tourists, most tourist areas are only temporarily closed on the first day of Tet, and return to normal operations on the second day with exciting entertainment activities and spaces decorated with the flavor of Tet.

Instead of celebrating Tet at home according to traditional customs, choosing to travel and celebrate Tet in a far away place with family has also become an experience chosen by many young families. Going beyond the usual stereotypes, traveling together during Tet is an interesting way for people to connect with themselves, with loved ones and with the beautiful world around them.

The recently published “Travel Trends 2025 Predictions” study commissioned by Booking.com and conducted on adults shows that by 2025, travel trends will have some changes that are more open and positive - where travelers want to redefine how they experience and connect with the world around them.