Tet travel journeys with local people are becoming a unique cultural experience product, creating highlights for inbound tourism (bringing international tourists to Vietnam) in the new year.
At the beginning of February, the spring atmosphere is bustling throughout the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta. Ms. Anita (Polish tourist) followed the group to Dong Thap to experience Lunar New Year - a traditional holiday imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity.
This is the first time we have come to Vietnam and celebrate the traditional Tet of Vietnamese people. I don't just want to visit or take pictures, I want to make cakes myself and feel the Tet atmosphere in the most intimate way," Ms. Anita excitedly shared.
Experiencing Tet like natives
Not only Ms. Anita, but the entire group of Polish tourists also became local people in a 1-day journey. They learned to simmer coconut jam, ask for calligraphy from Ong Do, worship the ancestral altar, enjoy Tet meals and receive lucky money at the beginning of the year. Experiences that seemed very familiar to Vietnamese people have become special memories for international tourists.
These experiences are part of the "Western people celebrate Tet in the Mekong Delta" tour, designed by Vietluxtour Company as a specialized cultural discovery journey instead of a simple sightseeing trip.
If in 2025, the Westerners celebrate Vietnamese Tet program recreates the Tet atmosphere in the inner city of Ho Chi Minh City, this year the tour is expanded to the riverine region of Dong Thap (formerly Tien Giang region) so that tourists can fully feel the rustic and rustic Southern Tet flavor. The highlight of this year's journey is the combination of healing ecotourism and real cultural experiences.
Mr. Tran The Dung - General Director of Vietluxtour Company said that European tourists, especially in the mid- and high-end segments, are increasingly looking for deep local experiences.
This flow of customers not only wants to admire Vietnam's beauty through scenery, but also wants to touch Vietnamese culture through lifestyle, cuisine and festivals. Maintaining and continuously renewing the Tet experience program for Western tourists is a way for businesses to concretize the strategy of competing by product quality and cultural content, instead of competing by price," Mr. Dung shared.
Creating long-term competitive advantages for Vietnamese tourism
The trend of celebrating Tet with Vietnamese people is also being promoted by many travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Ms. Tran Phuong Linh - Marketing - Information Technology Director of BenThanh Tourist Company, programs to welcome international visitors during the 2026 Lunar New Year all integrate traditional cultural activities. Tourists can enjoy spring cuisine, directly wrap banh tet, roll spring rolls, pour banh xeo, learn about customs and community activities.
In addition, this business also deploys early Tet welcome tours with unique routes such as visiting Sa Dec Flower Village, Lai Vung pink tangerine garden, giving visitors the opportunity to fully feel the spring atmosphere and cultural characteristics of the Mekong Delta.
Mr. Tran The Dung said that anticipating the trend of local and sustainable tourism, products rich in cultural values such as the "Western people celebrate Tet in the Mekong Delta" tour will create a long-term competitive advantage for Vietnamese tourism. These programs not only promote Vietnamese Tet in a lively and in-depth way but also contribute to improving the quality and differentiation for inbound products.
