CULTURE AND SPORT

Many families in Hanoi are still keeping a long-standing tradition alive: gathering together to make and cook banh chung, one of Vietnam’s most iconic dishes for Lunar New Year or Tet festival.

Vietnam’s U23 team will not take part in a friendly tournament in China in March 2026, contrary to earlier reports.

Several museums in Ho Chi Minh City will remain open during the Lunar New Year or Tet holiday, broadening cultural offerings for visitors in the opening days of 2026.

Hanoi’s Ly Thai To Flower Garden has been transformed with its largest floral installation to date, welcoming residents and tourists to celebrate the Lunar New Year amid an expansive spring display.

A towering horse mascot inspired by the legendary warhorse of Saint Giong has been largely completed for the 2026 Lunar New Year at Nguyen Hue Flower Street in HCM City.

A parade of real horses drew large crowds at the opening of the 46th Ho Chi Minh City Spring Flower Festival at Tao Dan Park on Thursday evening.

As the Lunar New Year or Tet Festival approaches, many families from Hanoi have been travelling to cemeteries to clean, decorate and pay respects at the graves of deceased relatives.

Hanoi’s Temple of Literature has become increasingly busy in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, or Tet Festival, as visitors flock to request calligraphy and take photographs.

Hanoi has launched a flower street within the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, welcoming residents as well as domestic and international visitors during the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival.

Vietnam will become the first country to host the SEA Esports Nation Cup (SNC), a national team–based regional championship owned and developed by the Southeast Asian Esports Federation (SEAEF).

Residents in Ho Chi Minh City hired boats to release carp into the Saigon River on February 10, fearing the fish would be trapped near the banks during the Kitchen Gods ritual.

Ceremonial seals will be distributed to pilgrims at 2 am on March 3 at Tran Temple in Ninh Binh Province, marking the 15th day of the first lunar month.

A paper mask workshop in central Vietnam is bustling ahead of the Lunar New Year or Tet as tourists snap up fierce-looking designs believed to bring peace and ward off evil in the year ahead.

Vietnam has been granted the hosting rights for the Asian DanceSport Championship 2026, with the event scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from July 9 to 12.

Dien Bien will host the Hoa Ban Festival in March, with a packed programme of cultural, sporting and tourism events aimed at celebrating ethnic heritage while boosting the province’s tourism profile.

A cluster of horse mascots unveiled in Quy Nhon, Gia Lai Province, has attracted wide attention for its playful designs that depart from traditional Lunar New Year imagery.