Updated October 2026 — rewritten for Tet 2027 (Year of the Goat) with the dates announced so far, our three Saigon studios and current prices.
Tet 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February 2027, opening the Year of the Goat; public-sector workers are off 4–10 February 2027. NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where you can spend 120 minutes blending your own “Tet in a bottle”, from $25.92 for 10 ml (VAT included), booked at the9base.com/booking.
Vietnam changes its scent during Tet. The familiar hum of motorbike fumes and street-side grilling gives way to something older and more intentional: burning incense, the earthy pungency of marigolds and, in the north, the sharp aroma of coriander baths. To be in Vietnam at this time is to watch a nation exhale. Whether you are a first-time traveller caught in the rush of preparation or an expat who knows the quiet days, this is your sensory compass for Tet 2027.
The first day of the Lunar New Year 2027 (mùng 1 Tết) is Saturday 6 February 2027. For public employees the official break runs seven days, from Thursday 4 February (28th day of the last lunar month) to Wednesday 10 February 2027 (5th day of the first lunar month), according to Ministry of Home Affairs notice 11483/TB-BNV of 9 October 2026. Private businesses set their own schedules, so opening hours vary.
When is Tet 2027 and how long is the holiday?
First day of Tet 2027
Public-sector holiday
Zodiac animal
Main traditions
Saturday, 6 February 2027
Thursday 4 – Wednesday 10 February 2027 (7 days)
The Goat (Đinh Mùi)
Ancestor worship, lì xì (lucky money), spring cleaning, flower markets
Saigon weather
NOTE – The Scent Lab
Dry season — hot, sunny days
Regular hours: Nguyen Hue and Ly Tu Trong 09:00–22:00, Thao Dien 08:00–18:00; any holiday change is posted on the9base.com/stores
What is the Year of the Goat?
In the Vietnamese zodiac, 2027 belongs to the Goat (Mùi), following the Horse year of 2026. Vietnam uses the Goat where some neighbouring countries say Sheep. For travellers, the practical meaning is the same every year: a few days of frantic preparation, then a few days when the big cities go unusually quiet.
In the days before Tet, the country is in a fever dream of preparation: flowers carried by the thousands on the backs of small motorbikes, every household scrubbed clean to welcome luck. Then, at midnight on New Year’s Eve, the city holds its breath — a rare chance to see Vietnam’s metropolises without the veil of traffic.
What does Tet smell like?
Tet smells of incense, flowers and herbs. Families burn incense on altars and at temples, homes fill with apricot and peach blossom and marigolds, and in northern Vietnam people bathe in boiled coriander on the last afternoon of the old year. To a local these scents signal that the old year has truly passed; to a traveller they are a way into Vietnamese culture.
In Vietnam, scent is the invisible thread that connects the everyday to the sacred. As families prepare to welcome their ancestors home, the air becomes a narrative of purification, memory and hope.
Old coriander — the northern New Year's Eve bath
In northern Vietnam, the late afternoon of the last day of the lunar year is defined by one aroma: the spicy, earthy scent of old coriander (mùi già), boiled for a cleansing bath before the new year.
Agarwood incense — the scent of the altar
Walk past any temple or family altar during Tet and you will meet the deep, balsamic scent of agarwood incense, one of the most prized natural materials in Asia.
Pomelo and lime leaves — the scent of the home
If incense is for the spirits, the bright, zesty aroma of pomelo and lime leaves is for the home and the body.
What activities can you do in Saigon during the Tet holiday 2027?
During the Tet holiday, Saigon swaps traffic for flowers, temples and empty boulevards. The best activities are the Tet flower street on Nguyen Hue, temple visits, photography in the quiet city centre, a long dinner and indoor experiences such as a perfume workshop. Many street stalls and smaller businesses close for the first days of the new year, so plan ahead and check opening hours.
In the first days of the new year the southern metropolis falls into a rare slumber: many street food stalls vanish into the alleyways and some museums close. View it not as a problem but as the one time you will see the grand boulevards of District 1 as architecture, rather than a backdrop for a million motorbikes. For a longer list of indoor options, see our guide to the best indoor activities in Saigon during Tet.
1. The Nguyen Hue Tet Flower Street
In recent years the city has turned Nguyen Hue Walking Street into a Tet flower street, the visual heart of the holiday in Saigon, with themed installations around the zodiac animal. Dates and the layout for 2027 are announced by the city closer to Tet.
Location: Nguyen Hue Walking Street. The street-level crowds can be hot, so the view from above — from the balconies of The Cafe Apartment — is worth finding.
2. Bottle the spirit of Tet at a perfume workshop
On the 2nd floor of The Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyen Hue, you push open the door of NOTE – The Scent Lab and the city noise drops away. The air smells of wood, moss and a faint, sweet tang of citrus.
The workshop lasts 120 minutes, with an instructor beside you in English or Vietnamese. You work with 30+ raw materials across nine scent families — each session sets out three of them — and build your perfume in layers, top, heart and base. Agarwood and old coriander are not on the studio table, but inspired by Tet you might reach for the honeyed softness of apricot, the brightness of lemon, the spark of pink peppercorn or the calm of sandalwood, depending on what is on the table that day. You choose the size, name your blend and leave with a serial-numbered bottle; your formula is kept on file, and refills are 20% off.
Apricot
Pink peppercorn
Lemon
Sandalwood
We have three studios in Ho Chi Minh City: 42 Nguyen Hue (2nd floor, The Cafe Apartment, District 1), right above the flower street; 26 Ly Tu Trong (3rd floor, District 1, regular hours 09:00–22:00); and 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu in quieter Thao Dien. Prices include 8% VAT: 10 ml $25.92 · 20 ml $47.52 · 30 ml $58.32 · 50 ml $69.12 (full pricing). Our studios keep regular hours (Nguyen Hue and Ly Tu Trong 09:00–22:00, Thao Dien 08:00–18:00); any holiday change is posted on the9base.com/stores. Book your Tet session ahead; you can reschedule free up to 24 hours before.
“The workshop was amazing, the space and environment is very clean, comfortable and beautiful.”
— Relax53765253820, review platform
“A wonderful experience! I learnt so much and had so much fun.”
— Sarah R., review platform
“This workshop was amazing! The teacher was friendly and very knowledgeable. Now I have my own perfume.”
— Perseus L., review platform
3. The Jade Emperor Pagoda
While District 1 enjoys a hushed slumber, the temples wake up. To see the spiritual heart of the city at Tet, visit the Jade Emperor Pagoda (Chùa Ngọc Hoàng) at 73 Mai Thi Luu Street. Built at the turn of the 20th century, with red walls and intricate tiled roofs, it blends Cantonese heritage and Vietnamese worship.
Stepping through the gate at Tet is like crossing a threshold: outside, the quiet city; inside, smoke-filled halls and locals in their finest áo dài praying for health and family harmony. The sheer volume of incense creates a sacred fog. Take a moment by the tortoise pond in the courtyard before you leave. Our Jade Emperor Pagoda incense guide goes deeper.
Where can you photograph Saigon's quiet streets at Tet?
For a few days, the usually relentless traffic of Le Loi and Dong Khoi thins out.
This is a photographer’s dream: French colonial architecture and bright yellow hoa mai blossoms against empty, sun-drenched boulevards — a side of Saigon that only exists for a few days a year.
Where can you have a long Tet dinner in Saigon?
After a day of flowers and temples, the evening calls for a proper meal. Two Vietnamese restaurants we like for a special occasion:
Miên — the name carries a poetic double meaning in Hán Nôm, the kapok flower and the roof that shelters the home. Location: 50A Dang Dung, Tan Dinh Ward (District 1). Map.
Nôm Dining — named after Chữ Nôm, the old script created to write the Vietnamese vernacular. Location: 53 Tran Nhat Duat Street, Tan Dinh Ward (District 1). Map.
Restaurants set their own Tet schedules — check with them before you go. For a romantic evening, see also our date night ideas in Saigon.
What makes a good Tet gift?
At Tet, Vietnamese families give lì xì — lucky money in red envelopes — along with food, flowers and gifts for the home. As a visitor, a gift with a story fits the spirit better than a magnet: something made in Vietnam, or something you made yourself. A perfume you blended at a workshop, or a perfume workshop gift card, says “I was here” in a way few souvenirs can.
For ready-made gifts, browse NOTE’s Tet collection online. More ideas: what to buy in Vietnam.
What practical tips help during Tet 2027?
Get cash before the holiday, expect some closures and higher prices, book transport and activities early, and walk when you can. The days around 6 February 2027 are the quietest, while the week before is the busiest for shopping and travel. Treat any opening hours you find online as provisional until the venue confirms them for Tet.
- Cash: withdraw what you need before the break starts (4 February 2027). Smaller cafes and shops may be cash-only during Tet.
- Holiday surcharges: many restaurants and services add a surcharge during Tet to cover staff working through the holiday. It is customary, not a tourist trap.
- Transport: ride-hailing apps keep working, but drivers are fewer — allow extra time.
- Walking: with traffic thinned out, the stroll from the Opera House to the river is genuinely pleasant.
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