7 Useful Tips for Tet holiday

shopping for a Tet Tree in Northern Vietnam

Table of Contents

In order to have the best Tet experience in Vietnam, read these useful tips shared by locals and experienced travellers to ensure a smooth trip during the holidays.

1. Well-prepared for Tet

Like other travelling occasion, you should always be well prepared in everything. Foreigners should know that Tet is an extremely crowded event in Vietnam so you need to book the tickets in advance for every show you want to watch or for every trip you plan to travel. Another thing foreigners should prepare is their electronic devices like phones, cameras and video recorders. These devices are necessary for you to capture the memorable moments of Tet. It would be a pity if you are visiting places with many beautiful views and lovely flowers but you cannot take pictures because your camera’s battery is low. Therefore, you should make sure that all these devices are fully-charged before you attend any activities; or else you may miss moments that cannot be retaken.

Peach Blossom in Ha Giang
Peach Blossom

Note that many stores and supermarkets will be closed for the first few day of the lunar new year: if you are running low on shampoo or other daily use items, make sure you stock up before the new year comes.

2) Be Aware of Pickpocketing

During Tet holidays, any place hosting events will be packed with people which will increase the risk of being pick-pocketed . When joining any of these activities, please bear in mind a great caution for your belongings. Always hold on tight to your bag, and wear your backpack to the front if possible. Moreover, you should avoid leaving valuable items in your pocket – you never know how skilful these petty thieves are. It is recommended to keep your wallet or phone in your well-zipped bags all the time.

3) Be informed

There are a lot of activities held during Tet holidays. Read over the introduction about each activities carefully (Vietnam Online News is an example) to know which one interests you the most and plan accordingly. A lot of shows are held at the same time and by reading the information first, you can pick the show that fits your interest. Remember to reserve your tickets in advance to avoid long queue.

4) Open mind, open heart and open to new things

Food at Tet
Tet Culinary Delights

Needless to say, Vietnamese culture is very different from Western culture. Therefore, it is advised for foreigners to be open to new things when joining activities in Tet. This is a chance for you to try many Vietnamese traditional food like banh chung, banh day or banh tet. These kinds of food are very special and you cannot try it in any other occasions. Do not hesitate to eat or do anything ‘weird’ (which we mean things you have been unfamiliar with) when you are invited to try. At the same time, know the limit of your stomach – do not over-stuff yourself.

5) Learn some Vietnamese wishes

Giving a wish is a necessary part in Tet. People exchange greetings and wishes regularly in these holidays when they meet each other. A simple ‘Chuc Mung Nam Moi’ goes a long way, but ‘Van Su Nhu Y’ will please others more. By learning some Vietnamese wishes, foreigners can create a good impression on Vietnamese friends and relatives. This also helps enhance the friendliness and relationship among people.

6) Traffic

Traffic has always been a problem in big cities in Vietnam. In such a special occasion like Tet, traffic should certainly be taken into consideration. During this occasion, if you want to pay a visit to famous tourist destination like Danang or Nha Trang, you might have to face lots of traffic jams on the way there. Therefore, you can estimate some extra amount of time added to the travelling time so that you will not be late for your plan.

Traffic in Hanoi
The roads are often mayhem.

Plan what means of transportation you will use during Tet holiday. If you need to go somewhere far away from the city by bus or planes, you need to book the ticket in advance. The ticket should be booked many days before your departure, if possible, even months. Last but not least, be careful when crossing the streets during Tet holidays. Because some people can enjoy Tet too much and still ride their motorbikes even when they are badly drunk . Therefore, the risk of accidents is very high. The more careful you are, the better Tet experience you have.

7) Health concern

During Tet holidays, there are lots of exciting activities waiting for you to participate. The holiday lasts for about 3-5 days. In order not to miss any activities, you should take good care of yourself and pay more attention to your health. To prevent illness, you need to be more careful with the food you eat. Take some medicine along if you have a prescription since not many pharmacies will be open during the holiday.

Quick Connect

BMW 1250 GS

Engine Type

air-liquid cooled, twin cylinder, DOHC, boxer engine

Displacement

1255 cc

Bore X Stroke

102.5 mm x 76 mm

Ignition

FI

Fuel System

fuel injection

Compression Ratio

12.5:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

6-speed

Front Suspension

BMW Motorrad Telelever; stanchion diameter 37 mm

Rear Suspension

single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever

Front Brakes

dual disc brake, floating brake discs, diameter 305 mm, 4-piston radial calipers

Rear Brakes

single disc brake, diameter 276 mm, double-piston floating caliper

Front Tyres

120/70 R19

Rear Tyres

170/60 R17

Wheelbase

1514 mm

Seat Height

850 mm

Ground Clearance

790 mm

Kerb Weight

249 kg

Fuel Capacity

20 litres

Dimensions

2207 mm (L) x 952.5mm (W) x 1430 mm (H)

Honda XR 150 motorcycle rental

Engine Type

air cooled, OHC, single cylinder

Displacement

149 cc

Bore X Stroke

57.3 mm x 57.8 mm

Ignition

CDI

Fuel System

20 mm piston valve carburettor

Compression Ratio

9.5:1

Starter

electric with kick starter backup

Gearbox

5-speed

Front Suspension

telescopic fork, 180 mm axle travel

Rear Suspension

single shock swing arm, 150 mm axle travel

Front Brakes

dual piston caliper, 240 mm disc

Rear Brakes

mechanical drum

Front Tyres

90/90 19

Rear Tyres

110/90 17

Wheelbase

1362 mm

Seat Height

825 mm

Ground Clearance

243 mm

Kerb Weight

129 kg

Fuel Capacity

12 litres

Dimensions

2091 mm (L) x 811 mm (W) x 1125 mm (H)

Honda CB 500X motorcycle rental

Engine Type

liquid cooled parallel-twin four stroke

Displacement

470 cc

Bore X Stroke

67 mm x 66.8 mm

Ignition

PGMI – FI

Fuel System

fuel injection

Compression Ratio

10.7:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

6-speed

Front Suspension

41 mm SFF-BP USD Forks

Rear Suspension

Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster

Front Brakes

dual 296 mm discs with 4 piston calipers; ABS

Rear Brakes

240 mm disc; ABS

Front Tyres

110/80R19M/C (59H)

Rear Tyres

160/60R17M/C

Wheelbase

1445 mm

Seat Height

830 mm

Ground Clearance

180 mm

Kerb Weight

199 kg

Fuel Capacity

17.7 litres

Dimensions

2,155 mm (L) x 830 mm (W) x 1,410 mm (H)

Honda CRF 300 motorcycle rental

Engine Type

single cylinder, DOHC, liquid cooled

Displacement

286 cc

Bore X Stroke

76 mm x 63 mm

Ignition

Full Transistor Digital

Fuel System

PGM-FI electronic fuel injection

Compression Ratio

10.7:1

Starter

electric

Gearbox

5-speed

Front Suspension

43 mm telescopic upside down

Rear Suspension

Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster

Front Brakes

256 mm disc, 2 piston caliper

Rear Brakes

220 mm disc, single piston caliper

Front Tyres

80/100 21

Rear Tyres

120/80 18

Wheelbase

1455 mm

Seat Height

880 mm

Ground Clearance

285 mm

Kerb Weight

142 kg

Fuel Capacity

7.8 litres

Dimensions

2230 mm (L) x 820 mm (W) x 1200 mm (H)

Tourist

One-Way

Expat

Pricing

N/A

N/A

Damage Waiver

$0/day

N/A

N/A

Security Deposit

N/A

N/A

Required Docs

passport

N/A

N/A

Mileage Limit

unlimited

N/A

N/A

Touring

N/A

N/A