Lunar New Year is not only a time of transition from the old year to the new year, but also a "return season" for each person to their family and roots. In the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, Tet carries many layers of meaning, from reunion and gratitude to rituals and customs to start the new year such as departure, opening calligraphy, opening - opening business.
According to Master of Culture Nguyen Hieu Tin (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City), Tet is a solemn spiritual ritual, where each person turns to tradition and responsibility to family and community. Also from that cultural foundation, Vietnamese people formed many "starting" customs to send wishes for a peaceful and favorable new year, including going out and starting writing.
With the concept of living closely to the crop season and the spirit of "heaven - earth - man", the first days of the year are considered the time when the community wishes each other complete harmony: farmers pray for favorable weather, people study to achieve success, people in the profession pray for development, people in business pray for good luck in business. Therefore, going out is considered an important starting step, many ancient people "read the day, guess the hour, choose the direction" to hope to avoid bad luck and welcome good things.
Suggested date and time, departure direction for the Year of the Horse 2026
According to feng shui - culture expert Pham Dinh Hai, going out in the new year at the right time and in the right direction is said to help homeowners avoid bad omens, welcome luck and peace. This expert stated that according to Huyen Khong feng shui, 2026 belongs to the 9th zodiac year (2024-2043) - the period when the Nine-Dragon star governs Fire, symbolizing light and spiritual values.
Regarding the direction of departure in 2026, Mr. Pham Dinh Hai said:
The East focuses on wealth, business, production, and trade.
The Southeast direction is mainly about studying, exams, and mandarin affairs.
Regarding the days and hours at the beginning of the year, this expert gives suggested time frames for each day:
1st day of the month (Nham Tuat): From 3-5am, 9-11am.
2nd day (Quý Hợi): Day of departure without luck, but if you are forced to depart, choose 7 - 9 am or 11 - 1 pm.
3rd day (Giap Ty): Best departure from 15-17h; in unfortunate cases, departure from 5-7h, 11-13h or 17-19h.
Day 4 (At Suu): Day of departure without fortune, if you have to depart, choose 5-7am, 9-11am or 3pm-5pm.
Day 5 (Binh Dan): Day of departure without fortune, if you have to depart, choose from 1pm-3pm, reluctantly choose from 7-11pm.
According to feng shui expert Nguyen Song Ha, in the first 3 days of the Binh Ngo New Year 2026, the 1st and 2nd days of the lunar calendar belong to the auspicious group, suitable for departure. If there is an important matter or departure for good luck at the beginning of the year, homeowners can choose one of these two days, especially the 1st day of Tet.
In the ten thousand-year calendar, the 1st day of Binh Ngo Tet falls on Tuesday (February 17, 2026 lunar calendar), the day of Dai An, meaning peace and convenience. Therefore, when departing, you will receive blessings, pray for wealth as desired, and be supported by noble people.
There are 2 good directions for departure: South and West. Among them, the South is the direction of the God of Joy, and the West is the direction of the God of Wealth. Depending on each person's wishes, there will be a suitable choice.
Auspicious departure hours include Tiger hour (3am-5am), Dragon hour (7am-9am), Snake hour (9am-11am), Monkey hour (3pm-5pm). Among them, Dragon hour is rated the best, which is the Xiao Cat hour frame, helping departure encounter a lot of luck, everything goes smoothly and well.
The important thing is still the "mentality" on the first day of the year
Besides the story of day - hour - direction, experts all emphasize the core element of the New Year custom is mindset. When leaving, many people choose to maintain a cheerful spirit, speak gently, avoid stress, and limit bad luck in behavior. For business people, opening a business at the beginning of the year is also an opportunity to create a positive atmosphere and restart the work cycle after the Tet holiday.
Preserving customs is preserving a part of identity. But for customs to become true "costumes", the most important thing is still kindness, a spirit of goodness, preparation and persistent effort throughout the year.
