Vietnam events and festivals form the center stage of the country and show the inclination of the masses towards maintaining the age-old traditions of Vietnam culture. The events and festivals of Vietnam are unique and they are the perfect display of the spiritual, religious, cultural and physical activities of the masses throughout the generation. The Vietnam events and festivals keep on happening throughout the year and give the Vietnamese the sheer joy and enjoyment of the true festive mood.

Festivals of Vietnam are various and each of them is unique and has its own charm. Festivals are the best places to enjoy and learn a lot about the traditions and crafts of the country, as they display the true flavor of the country. Festivals are the places to enjoy interesting games like wrestling, rowing, rope climbing and chess playing. In fact festivals are the best time for social interactions.

The Vietnam events and festivals are calendered in the lunar month. January and February are the best festival months of the Vietnamese. The beginning of the Vietnamese and Chinese Lunar year is the most important festival in Vietnam. Numerous festivals and social events are organized in Vietnam.

Below is some of the major events and festivals of Vietnam
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year
The lunar year festival, or Tet Nguyen Dan, is the largest festival to take place every year in Vietnam. It starts on the first day of the lunar year and lasts for entire week.
Tet is, according to Vietnamese traditional customs, a family-oriented celebration. The most sacred moment is at midnight on Tet Eve, when it is time to bid farewell to the past year and to welcome the New Year. It is also the occasion for people in every house hold to light incense in remembrance of their late relatives, pluck the plant buds, invite the first New Year’s visitor, and toast to each other.

The lunar year festival is the occasion for family members to meet each other. Tet is also the time when every house hold cooks traditional dishes, such a rice cake, a cake made from of sticky rice filled with bean paste and pork meat. The Lunar New Year festival is the most sacred celebration in Vietnam during which people wish each other health and happiness

The Mid-Autumn Festival
Tet Trung Thu is the mid autumn Vietnamese festival and is the second most popular festival of the nation. Tet Trung Thu of Vietnam usually falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of lunar calender and it occurs between mid September to early October. Majority of the Vietnamese celebrate Tet Trung Thu on the weekends. Tet Trung Thu is a wonderful Vietnamese festival and is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

The origin of Tet Trung Thu dates back to 15-20,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. The dates of the festival vary and it has been a popular Vietnamese festival from the medieval days. The mythological belief says that the Mid-Autumn moon festival is a way in which the parents make up their lost time with the children after the harvest season.

During the harvest season the parents lack time to spent with their children and hence the arrival of the festival calls for celebration with family and friends after a long work. The festival is celebrated during the full moon representing fullness and prosperity of life.

People enjoy a lot during the festival and beautiful parades on street are displayed by the children. Singing and traditional dances are also phenomenal and it is customary part of the festival. Tet Trung Thu has its own significance in Vietnam events and festival, and is a beautiful way of celebrating Vietnam's love for their children

Hung King Temple Festival
The festival begins with a palanquin procession performed by three villages of Co Tich, Vi Cuong and Trieu Phu. The procession carries bamboo elephants and wooden horses symbolizing the submission of animals to the Kings Hung and the wedding of the Mountain Genie and Princess Ngoc Hoa. Banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and banh giay (round sticky rice cake) are indispensable offerings in the procession in order to honor the merit of the Kings Hung who taught people to plant rice and to remind people of Lang Lieu who invented these cakes.

The worship service is held on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month and commences with a flower ceremony with the participation of state representatives. Held in Thuong Temple, where the Kings Hung used to worship deities with full rituals, the ceremony is conducted with the traditional rituals representing the whole nation. During that time, the nha to Do Ngai guild performs singing and dancing to welcome visitors.

The children of the Kings Hung throughout the country converge on the temple to offer incense. The procession includes the state representatives, one hundred young men and women in traditional costumes symbolizing “children of the Dragon and Fairy” and pilgrims.

The procession marches are followed by a Xoan singing performance (a kind of folk song of Vinh - Phu region) in Thuong Temple, ca tru (a kind of classical opera) in Ha Temple, and other activities including bamboo swings, nem con (throwing a sacred ball through the ring), cham thau (beating bronze drum), dam duong (pounding rice).
Hung Temple Festival not only attracts visitors from all over the country because of its special traditional cultural activities, but it is also a sacred trip back in time to the origins of the Vietnamese nation. People usually show their love and pride of their homeland and ancestral land. This religious belief deeply imbedded in the minds of every Vietnamese citizen, regardless of where they originate.

Huong Pagoda Festival
Approximately 70 kilometers southwest of Ha Noi, Huong Son boasts quite a few pagodas built in the Posterior Le Dynasty. Until the beginning of the 20th century, there have over 100 pagodas. Visitors can go to Huong Son via the Ha Dong - Van Dinh route.
Vietnamese or foreigners alike wish to come to Huong Son in springtime. Heading there tourists come to a magnificent land, a famous beauty spot in Vietnam

Going boating in Yen Stream, visitors get a stunning view of the landscape in springtime. Here lies Ngu Nhac Mountain, there stand Hoi Bridge, Dun and Voi Phuc (Prostrating Elephant) mountains. Then come Thuyen Rong (Dragon Boat) and Con Phuong (Phoenix) mountains, not to mention various other mountains named after their shape like Ong Su (Buddhist Monk), Ba Vai (Buddhist nun), Mam Xoi (Tray of Sticky Rice), Trong (Drum), or Chieng (Gong).

At Trinh Temple visitors stop to burn incense and present to the Mountain Deity before going on their journey to Ba Cave. In front of the cave spreads a land with magnificent beauty. Leaving Ba Cave, tourists go to Tro Wharf, the starting point for the trekking up the mountain. Thien Tru Pagoda is the first destination. Known as the Kitchen of Heaven, it boasts Thien Thuy - a tower-like natural rock, and Vien Cong Tower an exquisite terracotta architectural structure dated back to the 17th century. On the right of the pagoda stands Tien Son Grotto, housing five statues carved out of stone and many stalactites and stalagmites which can be used as musical instruments.

To reach Huong Tich Grotto one go past a winding path paved with slabs of stone nature has smoothed. Alongside the path visitors has a chance to feast their eyes on stunning landscapes. In the 18th century, upon coming here Lord Trinh Sam had the words “The most beautiful grotto under the Southern sky” chiselled above the mouth of the grotto. Pushing into its belly, visitors get a spectacular view. Many stalactites and stalagmites are named after their shape: Rice Pile, Money Pile, Gold Tree, Silver Tree to name but a few. Inside there are statues of King’s Father, Queen, Avalokitesvara, and so on. Noteworthy is the Cuu Long structure with nine dragons flanking from above.

There are many interesting pagodas, caves and grottoes in Huong Son. Among them include Long Van, Tuyet Son, Hinh Bong, and so forth. The Ong Bay (Sung Sam) Cave, 2km from Long Van Pagoda, still retains traces of ancient people some tens of thousands of years ago.

Unlike any other places, Huong Pagoda harmonizes the characters of a Buddhist architectural complex with the impressive natural beauty. Coming here, tourists have chances to live in a boisterous atmosphere of a spring festival amidst beautiful landscape. They seem to be free from all tiredness and sorrow and come to pay respect to the compassionate Buddha.

Chol Chnam Thmay Festival
Chol Chnam Thmay is a traditional Vietnam festival of the Tet community of the Khmer region. The festival is celebrated by the Khmer people in the southern province to bid good bye to an old year and embrace the new year ahead. Chol Chnam Thmay Festival is celebrated from the first and third day of the Chet month. People worship and welcome the God of the New Year for a bright and peaceful new year ahead. This festival lasts for three days and also four days in the leap year.

The preparation of Chol Chnam Thmay Festival begins some days prior to the arrival of the festival. People generally clean and decorate their houses and are in the relaxing mood for celebration. The masses stop all the farm work and set free their cattle. Three days of celebrations are different and are related to the culture and lifestyle of the people.

On the first day of the ceremony everyone receives the great calender in which detailed account of dates and festivals are mentioned. On this day people have to take bath irrespective of any time in the day and put on new dresses and go for offering prayers to the shrines of the Buddha. During the second day boiled rice is prepared in every Buddhist family and they offer it to the Buddhist monk in the early morning and also in the noon. During the third day of Chol Chnam Thmay Festival, the Buddha's statue is washed and then special prayers are followed as per the rituals.

Chol Chnam Thmay holds a significant place in the Vietnam events and festivals and during the festive season people visit each other's family and wish good luck and prosperity to each other.