Package Vietnam Tours - Instead of celebrating Tet in the traditional way, more and more families and middle-aged people in the northern region are choosing to travel for relaxation, visit temples and pagodas at the beginning of the year to pray for peace, recharge their energy, and balance their spirits.
Travel agencies report a clear shift in tourism trends for the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday. While in the past, Tet holiday tourism focused primarily on sightseeing and entertainment, now tourists prioritize tranquil, slow-paced, and immersive journeys, linked to relaxation, spirituality, and nature.
Ms Diem from 5S Travel said that people in the northern region are no longer overly fond of long, crowded trips or complicated travel arrangements. Instead, they prefer destinations that are not too noisy and have cultural, spiritual, and ecological elements.
"Traveling during Tet (Lunar New Year ) is no longer just about leisure, it's about fulfilling a spiritual need. People travel to find inner peace, pray for blessings and good fortune, and recharge their energy after a year of stress" Ms. Diem said.
Popular product lines include spring excursions to temples and pagodas such as Yen Tu , Ngoa Van, Bai Dinh, Tam Chuc, and Tay Thien; eco-tourism in mountainous areas like Sa Pa, Moc Chau, and Cao Bang - Ba Be; or relaxation combined with meditation, mindfulness, and healing experiences.
In particular, middle-aged people, multi-generational families, and business people make up a large proportion of tourists during the Tet holiday season. Many combine their vacation with a pilgrimage to pray for peace, wealth, and good health at the beginning of the year.
This year, tourists are prioritizing journeys that are "quiet, slow, and profound," linked to relaxation, spirituality, and nature.
Regarding pricing, according to Ms. Diem, traditional Tet tours often have peak season surcharges due to increased transportation, hotel, and personnel costs. Prices can be 1.5–2 times higher than on regular days.
However, in recent years, the market has seen a trend towards stimulating demand. Many hotels and resorts have reduced or eliminated Tet holiday surcharges; travel agencies are designing short-day tours and optimizing costs to keep prices reasonable.
As a result, tour prices are quite diverse: from high-end options with 4-5 star resort services to mid-range tours and cost-effective experiential tours for families. According to businesses, customers today are not only interested in low prices but also prioritize service quality and the emotional value they receive after the trip.
Traveling at the beginning of the year is therefore no longer just a trendy choice, but is gradually becoming a "new cultural habit".
Sharing the same view, Mr Hung from Hung Viet Travel - said that the trend of health and wellness retreats at natural hot spring locations such as Tram Tau, Van Chan, Tu Le... continues to grow positively during this year's Tet holiday, especially in the period before and after Tet with short trips of 2-3 days suitable for families and small groups.
According to travel businesses, with the shift in mindset regarding enjoyment and mental well-being, tourism during Tet (Lunar New Year) is predicted to continue its strong growth in the coming years. As income and quality of life improve, people are willing to spend on trips that offer experiential value and spiritual meaning, rather than just material consumption. Therefore, traveling at the beginning of the year is no longer just a trendy choice but is gradually becoming a "new cultural habit" for many Vietnamese families, where the Tet holiday is not only about reunion but also a journey to recharge, seek balance, and start the new year positively.
