Triệu Thúy Kiều

Thúy Kiều (Grace) is a travel blogger and content contributor for Loop Trails Tours Ha Giang. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Tourism from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and has a strong passion for exploring and promoting responsible travel experiences in Vietnam’s northern highlands.

Ha Giang Loop Tet Holiday Guide: Visiting During Vietnamese New Year

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Tours

Riding the Ha Giang Loop during Tet is one of those plans that sounds magical and slightly chaotic at the same time, and honestly, it can be both. Tet is Vietnamese New Year, the biggest holiday of the year, and for about a week it changes how the whole country runs. Get the timing right and you ride misty passes past peach blossom and stone houses dressed in red, into a version of northern Vietnam most travelers never get to see. Get it wrong and you end up in a cold homestay with no dinner, in a market town that has quietly gone home to its family.

This is the honest version of the guide. What actually opens and closes, what the weather really does up there in winter, how to reach Ha Giang while the entire country is on the move, and how to plan a ride that feels like a celebration instead of a scramble.

First, what is Tet, and when does it happen?

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 2 Days 1 Night

Tet Nguyen Dan is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the most important holiday on the calendar. Think of it as Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year rolled into one, the time when nearly everyone travels back to their hometown to be with family.

The date moves every year because it follows the lunar calendar, usually landing somewhere between late January and mid February. In 2027 it falls on February 6. Because it shifts, the one rule that never changes is this: check the exact dates for your travel year before you book anything.

A few things worth knowing about how Tet flows:

The three most sacred days are mung 1, mung 2 and mung 3 (the first three days of the new year). These are the quietest for shops, kitchens and markets.
The official public holiday often stretches across 7 to 9 days, and plenty of small family businesses close earlier and reopen later than that.
The days just before Tet are the opposite of quiet. Pre Tet markets are buzzing, people are shopping for flowers and food, and the mood is electric.
For Ha Giang specifically, this is also the coldest stretch of the year, which matters more than most people expect.

Should you even ride the Loop during Tet? The honest answer

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 3 Days 2 Nights

It depends entirely on what you came for.

Tet on the Loop is a brilliant idea if you care about culture and atmosphere, you like quiet roads, you want to see blossoms and red decorations on mountain homes, you can stay flexible, and you don’t mind layering up against real cold. It is one of the most photogenic, human times to be in the mountains.

It is a frustrating idea if you expect every food stop to be open, you want the big ethnic markets running at full swing, you hate being cold, or you plan to wing the whole thing last minute. Tet rewards planners and punishes improvisers.

There is also a sweet spot in the timing. Landing in Ha Giang exactly on mung 1 and trying to ride straight away is the hard way to do it. Arriving a few days before Tet, or a few days after the central holiday, gives you the festive atmosphere without the worst of the closures. The blossoms and decorations are up for weeks. The dead quiet only really bites for those first few days.

If reading all of this already feels like a lot to coordinate from abroad, that is normal, and it is exactly the situation a guided ride is built for. A good operator pre arranges your beds, your meals and your route, so the Tet logistics stop being your problem. More on that further down. For now, just know it is possible to do this well.

What's open and what's closed during Tet

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop 4 Days 3 Nights

This is the single most important section, so read it twice. Tet closures are the thing that makes or breaks a trip up here, far more than weather or roads.

Restaurants and roadside food

Many small restaurants and family run food stops close during the central days of Tet, because the family that runs them is busy celebrating. The chain convenience stores and bigger hotels with their own kitchens are more reliable, but on the Loop you are often relying on small village spots, and a good number of those will simply be shut on mung 1 to mung 3.

The practical fix: never assume the next kitchen will be open. Carry snacks and water as a buffer, eat well whenever you find a place that is serving, and if you are on a guided tour, your guide will know which spots stay open and will book meals ahead.

Homestays and hotels

Hotels in Ha Giang city and the bigger towns mostly stay open through Tet, though some raise their prices for the holiday window. The trickier ones are the small family homestays scattered along the Loop, the kind that make the trip special. Some of those pause for Tet so the family can celebrate, and others stay open but run on a quieter rhythm.

If you are organizing your own beds, book them well ahead and confirm directly that they are open for your exact dates. This is the number one logistics risk for self drivers during Tet, so do not leave it to chance.

The markets (Dong Van, Meo Vac and friends)

The famous ethnic markets are a highlight of any Loop trip, but their normal weekly rhythm gets disrupted around Tet. Some pause, some run smaller, and timings can shift. If a specific market is high on your list, treat the published schedule as a maybe and check for local updates close to your dates, because these things can change year to year.

The flip side: the days right before Tet bring their own kind of market energy, with people buying flowers, sweets and festive supplies. It is a different scene from the usual trading market, but it is wonderful in its own way.

Fuel and repair shops

Fuel stations and motorbike repair shops can run reduced hours during the central days. For anyone riding their own bike, that is worth planning around. Fill up before you leave a town rather than gambling on the next station, and do not let your tank run low between settlements. Carry the basics and know that a midday repair on mung 1 might not be as easy to find as usual.

Quick open or closed cheat sheet

Service	During the central Tet days
City hotels and bigger guesthouses	Mostly open, prices may rise
Small family homestays on the Loop	Mixed, confirm directly
Village restaurants and food stops	Many closed, plan around it
Convenience stores in towns	More reliable
Ethnic markets	Disrupted, check locally
Fuel and repair shops	Reduced hours possible
The roads and the views	Open and gorgeous

The roads themselves do not close for Tet. The passes, the viewpoints, Ma Pi Leng, the road above the Nho Que River, all of it is there waiting. What changes is the support network of food, beds and fuel around the ride.

Weather on the Loop during Tet: pack for real cold

Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang 5 Days 4 Nights

This is the part people underestimate the most. Ha Giang sits far north and high up, and Tet lands in the depth of winter. Up around Dong Van, Meo Vac, Lung Cu and the Ma Pi Leng pass, it gets genuinely cold, often foggy, and in some years there is frost.

A few honest expectations:

Mornings and high passes can be cold enough to need real layers, not just a light jacket.
Fog can roll in and cut visibility on the passes, which means riding slower and leaving more space.
Damp cold cuts through cheap gear fast, so warm and waterproof beats stylish.

Conditions vary a lot from year to year and even day to day, so check local updates close to your travel dates rather than assuming. If you are riding yourself, build in a slower pace and do not push to hit a viewpoint in thick fog just because it is on the plan. The mountain will still be there tomorrow.

If the cold is a real concern for you, this is one of the seasons where a jeep starts to look very appealing, because you ride the same passes and see the same views from inside a warm cabin instead of leaning into a freezing headwind.

The upside nobody warns you about

Learn more: Ha Giang Cao Bang Ba Be Lake 6 Days 5 Nights

With all the closures out of the way, here is why people fall in love with the Loop at Tet anyway.

The mountains dress up. Peach and plum blossom appear outside stone houses, gates wear fresh red couplets, and families come out in their best clothes. Children run around with red envelopes of lucky money. Villages that feel timeless any other month suddenly feel like they are celebrating, because they are.

The roads are quieter on the central days, because a lot of the tour traffic simply is not running. You get passes and viewpoints with fewer vans and fewer riders, which on the Loop is a rare gift.

And then there is the human side. Tet is when Vietnamese hospitality goes into overdrive. People are relaxed, generous and in a celebrating mood, and travelers sometimes find themselves waved over to share tea, sticky rice cake or a cup of something stronger. You cannot plan those moments, but Tet is when they happen most.

This is the trade you are making. You give up some convenience, and in return you get a window into real village life that the high season simply does not offer.

Getting from Hanoi to Ha Giang during Tet

Learn more: Ha Giang Motorbike Rental

Most Loop trips start with the trip from Hanoi up to Ha Giang city, and Tet makes this leg harder than usual, because the entire country is traveling at the same time.

What to expect:

Buses and limousine vans book out, sometimes well in advance, and prices can rise around the holiday.
Some operators thin out their schedules on the central days, so there may be fewer departures than normal.
The popular options are the overnight sleeper bus, the limousine van, and a private transfer. Each has its own balance of cost, comfort and timing.

The honest advice: book this leg as early as you can, and build a buffer into your plan. Do not schedule a tight connection where you arrive on a packed travel day and try to start riding immediately. Give yourself a night in Ha Giang city to land, warm up and sort your gear before the Loop begins.

If you book a guided tour, transfers are usually arranged for you, which takes the single most stressful piece of Tet planning off your plate.

Tet etiquette: how to be a good guest in the mountains

Learn more: Cao Bang Loop 3 Days best kept secret

Traveling during Tet is a privilege, because you are dropping into the most personal, family centered week of the Vietnamese year. A little awareness goes a long way.

Lucky money (li xi). Tourists are not expected to hand these out, but a small, crisp note tucked in a red envelope is a kind gesture for children, or for a family that hosts you. Offer it with both hands and a smile. A common tip is to avoid the number 4, which is linked to bad luck, and any small amount is fine.
First footing (xong dat). Some families care a lot about who is the first person to enter their home on the morning of mung 1, since it is believed to set the luck for the year. If you are a guest somewhere on that morning, follow your host’s lead and do not barge in first.
Photos. Ask before photographing people, especially elders and during family rituals. Most people are warm about it, but Tet is intimate, so a smile and a gesture asking permission matters.
Invitations. If a family waves you over, accepting graciously is lovely. Bringing a small token like fruit or sweets is a nice touch if you can.
Patience. Service runs at a holiday pace, kitchens are slower, and some things are simply closed. Roll with it. Warmth and patience are repaid generously up here.

What to pack for a Tet Loop ride

Learn more: Ha Giang Packing list

Your normal Loop kit plus a serious winter upgrade and a few Tet specific extras.

Warm layers: thermal base layer, a proper insulating mid layer, and a windproof, waterproof outer.
Good gloves, a buff or neck warmer, and warm socks. Hands and necks suffer most on cold passes.
Waterproof bags or covers, because winter fog and drizzle are damp business.
Cash in small notes. ATMs and card machines are less dependable during the holiday, and you want small change for closed kitchen days and roadside snacks.
A snack and water buffer for the days when food stops are shut.
A few red envelopes if you want the option of a kind gesture for kids you meet.

Pack for cold first and style second. You will be very glad you did somewhere on the Ma Pi Leng pass at eight in the morning.

Self drive vs easy rider vs jeep during Tet

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop by Army Jeep Tours & Wrangler Rubicon

Here is the part where you actually choose. Tet shifts the math a little compared to the rest of the year, because the logistics risk goes up, and so the value of having someone handle it goes up too.

Which option is best for you?

Self drive (rent a bike and ride solo or with friends). Maximum freedom and the cheapest on paper. The catch at Tet is that you personally absorb all the holiday logistics: finding open homestays, open kitchens and open fuel. This works well if you are a confident rider, you are flexible, and you are willing to pre book your beds and meals carefully. It is the hard mode of Tet, but a rewarding one for the right person.
Easy rider (you ride on the back, a local guide drives). This is the stress remover during Tet. Your guide knows which places stay open, arranges food and beds ahead, reads the weather, and makes the route calls so you do not get caught out. You get to soak up the scenery and the festivities instead of worrying about whether tonight’s homestay is celebrating without you.
Jeep (warm cabin, someone else driving). The most comfortable and the most weatherproof. You see the same passes and the same viewpoints from inside, out of the cold, which during a Tet winter is a real luxury. Ideal for couples, families, anyone who does not ride a motorbike, or anyone who just wants the views without the windchill. Logistics are fully handled.

A simple way to decide: if you want total independence and you love the planning, go self drive. If you want the freedom of two wheels without the Tet headaches, go easy rider. If you want comfort, warmth and zero logistics stress, go jeep.

If you are not sure which fits your group, that is genuinely the most common question we get, and we are happy to talk it through with you before you commit to anything.

Common mistakes people make visiting during Tet

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Mistake to Avoid

A short list of the ones that catch travelers out most:

Booking transport from Hanoi at the last minute and finding everything full.
Assuming village kitchens and markets will be open on mung 1 to mung 3.
Underpacking for cold, then suffering on the high passes.
Landing on the busiest travel day and trying to ride immediately with no buffer.
Carrying only big notes or relying on ATMs that are quiet for the holiday.
Self driving with zero pre arranged homestays, then scrambling for a bed at dusk in the cold.

Every one of these is easy to avoid with a bit of forward planning, which is the whole theme of doing Tet well up here.

A loose game plan for a 3 days Loop over Tet

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Not a rigid schedule, because exact timing depends on your dates, the weather and how the holiday falls that year. Think of this as the mindset more than the minute by minute.

Day 1. Arrive in Ha Giang city the day before you ride if you can, or early on day one. Warm up, sort gear, get a solid meal while kitchens are open, and head out toward the Dong Van direction. Take the passes slowly if there is fog.
Day 2. The heart of the Loop, the Ma Pi Leng pass and the road above the Nho Que River. This is your big scenery day. Keep your fuel topped up and lock in dinner early, since options thin out at night during Tet.
Day 3. Loop back toward Ha Giang, leaving a comfortable buffer for cold weather slowdowns and for the trip onward. Do not plan a tight late connection.

Build flexibility into every day. Tet is not the season for cramming. It is the season for slowing down and letting the trip breathe.

How to book a Tet ride with Loop Trails

Learn more: Ha Giang Loop Self-Drive

Tet is high demand and limited supply, which is exactly why early booking matters. Once you have a confirmed travel date, we recommend booking as soon as possible. Most guests book 1 to 3 months in advance, and during Tet, getting the right guides, vehicles and open homestays locked in early genuinely makes your trip smoother.

If you are weighing up dates, modes or whether Tet even suits your group, message us and we will give you a straight answer based on the year you are looking at. No pressure, just honest advice from people who ride these roads.

faq

When is Tet, and how do I know the exact dates?

Tet follows the lunar calendar, so it moves each year, usually falling between late January and mid February. In 2027 it lands on February 6. Always confirm the dates for your specific travel year before booking.

Is it cold on the Ha Giang Loop during Tet?

Yes. Tet falls in the coldest part of the year, and the high passes around Dong Van and Ma Pi Leng can be genuinely cold and foggy, sometimes with frost. Pack proper winter layers and waterproofs.

Will restaurants and homestays be open during Tet?

Many small village kitchens and some family homestays close during the central days while families celebrate. City hotels mostly stay open. Book a guided tour or pre arrange and confirm your stops directly.

Are the big markets like Dong Van and Meo Vac running during Tet?

Their normal weekly rhythm gets disrupted around the holiday, so some pause or shift. If a particular market matters to you, check local updates close to your dates, because timings change year to year.

Should I arrive before or after Tet?

The sweet spot is a few days before Tet or a few days after the central holiday, rather than landing exactly on mung 1. You still get the blossoms and festive mood with far fewer closures.

Is it hard to get from Hanoi to Ha Giang during Tet?

It can be, because the whole country travels at once. Buses and vans book out and prices can rise, so book this leg early and leave a buffer instead of planning a tight connection.

Do I need to give lucky money (li xi)?

No, tourists are not expected to. That said, a small crisp note in a red envelope is a gracious gesture for children or a host family. Offer it with both hands.

Is self driving a bad idea during Tet?

Not bad, but harder. You carry all the logistics risk yourself, including finding open food, fuel and beds. It suits confident, flexible riders who plan ahead. If you want less stress, an easy rider or jeep tour handles all of that.

Will fuel stations be open?

Some run reduced hours on the central days. Fill up before leaving a town rather than relying on the next station, and do not let your tank run low between settlements.

Is the Loop quieter or busier during Tet?

It is mixed. A lot of international tour traffic pauses on the central days, so the passes can feel pleasantly quiet, but domestic travel peaks overall. On the Loop itself you often get more space than usual.

Can Loop Trails still run tours during Tet?

Yes, with limited departures, since vehicles, guides and open homestays are all in higher demand. Book well ahead to secure your dates.

What is the one thing I should not skip planning?

Your beds and meals for the central days. Everything else you can improvise, but a confirmed place to sleep and eat is what keeps a Tet ride warm and happy.