Lessons · Level 3
3-8. Culture and Holidays — Tết, Weddings and Funerals, Housewarmings
Văn hóa & lễ Tết
🎯 Goal Exchange New Year greetings and lucky money at Tết, and follow the etiquette for weddings, funerals and housewarmings · about 35 min
The Vietnamese year revolves around Tết
Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year) is Vietnam's biggest holiday. In 2026, New Year's Day (mùng 1) was February 17, and the official holiday for public servants was February 16–20 (5 days; 9 days including weekends).
- For 1–2 weeks around Tết, many shops, restaurants and government offices close or shorten their hours. Get your paperwork done before Tết.
- Children and people who've helped you are given lucky money (lì xì) in red envelopes.
- In the South, people eat bánh tét (a cylindrical sticky rice cake) at Tết. In the North it's the square bánh chưng.
- At Trung Thu (the Mid-Autumn Festival, 15th day of the 8th lunar month), people give mooncakes (bánh trung thu) and children play with lanterns.
Holiday and family-occasion words
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Tết | Lunar New Year | tet |
| năm mới | new year | nam muhy |
| lì xì | lucky money | lee see |
| bao lì xì | red envelope | bao lee see |
| bánh tét | cylindrical rice cake North: bánh chưng (square rice cake) | ban tek |
| mứt | candied fruit | mewk |
| Trung Thu | Mid-Autumn Festival | choong too |
| bánh trung thu | mooncake | ban choong too |
| đám cưới | wedding | dam kew-ee |
| đám tang | funeral | dam tang |
| phong bì | money envelope | fawng bee |
| tân gia | housewarming | tuhng ya |
| quà | gift | wa |
| cạn ly | bottoms up | kang lee |
Greetings and congratulations
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Chúc mừng năm mới! | Happy New Year! | chook mewng nam muhy! |
| Năm mới an khang thịnh vượng! | Wishing you peace and prosperity in the new year! | nam muhy ang khang tin yew-uhng! |
| Chúc cô chú năm mới sức khỏe, vạn sự như ý. | Wishing you good health and that all goes as you wish. | chook koh choo nam muhy sewk khweh, yang sew nyew ee. |
| Chúc con năm mới vui vẻ, học giỏi. | Have a happy new year and study well. | chook kawng nam muhy yooy yeh, hawk yoy. |
| Chú lì xì cho con nè. | Here's some lucky money for you. | choo lee see chaw kawng neh. |
| Cảm ơn anh chị đã mời em. | Thank you for inviting me. | kam uhng an chee da muhy em. |
| Đây là chút quà nhỏ. | This is a small gift. | duhy la chook wa nyaw. |
| Chúc mừng tân gia! | Congratulations on your new home! | chook mewng tuhng ya! |
| Chúc mừng hạnh phúc! | Wishing you happiness! | chook mewng han fook! |
| Xin chia buồn với gia đình. | My condolences to your family. | sin chee-uh boo-uhng yuhy ya din. |
| Một, hai, ba, dô! | One, two, three, cheers! Southern drinking toast. Also written 'zô' | mohk, hai, ba, yoh! |
| Em xin phép uống ít thôi. | Please excuse me, I'll just drink a little. | em sin fep oo-uhng it toy. |
Real conversation — New Year greetings to the landlord's family at Tết
During the Tết holiday, Minsu visits his landlord, Aunt Hoa (cô Hoa), with a small gift to wish her a happy New Year. Her daughter Na is there too.
| Minsu | Dạ, con chào cô. Chúc mừng năm mới cô! | Hello. Happy New Year! |
| Hoa | Ừ, chúc mừng năm mới con! Vô nhà chơi đi con. | Happy New Year to you too! Come on in. |
| Minsu | Dạ, con có chút quà Tết cho cô chú. | I brought a small New Year gift for you both. |
| Hoa | Trời ơi, con đừng khách sáo. Cảm ơn con nha. | Oh my, you didn't have to. Thank you. |
| Minsu | Con chúc cô chú năm mới sức khỏe, vạn sự như ý. | Wishing you good health and that all goes as you wish. |
| Hoa | Cảm ơn con. Con ăn mứt với bánh tét đi. | Thank you. Have some candied fruit and rice cake. |
| Minsu | Dạ. Bé Na đây hả cô? | Thank you. Is this little Na? |
| Hoa | Ừ, con gái út của cô. Na, chào chú Min-su đi con. | Yes, my youngest daughter. Na, say hello to Minsu. |
| Na | Con chào chú. Chúc chú năm mới vui vẻ! | Hello. Have a happy new year! |
| Minsu | Ngoan quá! Chú lì xì cho con nè. | How sweet! Here's some lucky money for you. |
| Na | Dạ, con cảm ơn chú! | Thank you! |
| Hoa | Năm nay chúc con học tiếng Việt thật giỏi nha! | I hope you get really good at Vietnamese this year! |
Lucky money and gift tips
- With lucky money (lì xì), the thought counts more than the amount. Children usually get crisp new notes in a red envelope. Banks sometimes exchange new notes before Tết.
- Giving a small envelope or gift to your building's security guards and cleaners before Tết keeps relations good all year.
- If you're invited to someone's home, bring a small gift like fruit, snacks, tea or alcohol. Give and receive with both hands.
- Wedding cash gifts go in an envelope (phong bì) placed in the box at the entrance. If your name is on the invitation, be sure to write your name on it.
- When drinking, everyone shouts 'Một, hai, ba, dô!' and toasts. If you can't drink much, just smile and say 'Em xin phép uống ít thôi'.
Cultural do's and don'ts
- Gifts to avoid: handkerchiefs (tears, parting), knives or scissors (cutting ties), and bouquets of white or yellow chrysanthemums, which are used for funerals.
- People believe the first guest to enter a home on the morning of the first day of Tết (mùng 1) (xông đất) decides the family's luck for the year. Unless invited, avoid visiting on the morning of the first day.
- By custom, people avoid cleaning, arguing and chasing debts on the first day of Tết. Leave things like repair requests to your landlord until after Tết.
- At funerals, wear dark or white clothes and avoid flashy outfits and loud laughter.
- Just before Tết, traffic jams, taxi surcharges and price rises are bad. Grab can be hard to get, so set off early.