Vietnamese Lunar Calendar (Âm Lịch)
Interactive Vietnamese lunar calendar showing both solar and lunar dates in every cell. Navigate any month or year — holidays auto-highlighted including Tết, Hùng Kings' Day, and national holidays.
About the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar (Âm Lịch)
The Vietnamese lunar calendar (Âm lịch) is a lunisolar system: months are defined by lunar cycles of approximately 29.5 days, but a leap month (tháng nhuận) is inserted every two or three years so the calendar stays in step with the solar year and agricultural seasons. This means the lunar date shifts relative to the Gregorian calendar each year, which is why holidays like Tết fall on a different solar date annually.
Vietnam observes the calendar using UTC+7. Because the astronomical new moon sometimes occurs near midnight, the start of a lunar month can fall one solar day earlier or later than in China (UTC+8). This is why Vietnamese and Chinese lunar dates occasionally differ by one day, and why this tool calculates dates specifically for the Vietnamese timezone rather than borrowing the Chinese calendar directly.
Tết Nguyên Đán — Vietnamese Lunar New Year
Tết Nguyên Đán is the first day of the first lunar month (1/1 âm lịch) and is the most important celebration in Vietnam. The date is determined by the new moon closest to the sun entering Aquarius. In 2026, Tết falls on January 29, opening the Year of the Horse (Bính Ngọ, 丙午). The public holiday period officially spans five consecutive days, during which most businesses close and families travel home to reunite.
Hùng Kings' Festival (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương)
Held on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, Hùng Kings' Day (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương) commemorates the legendary Hùng Kings — the founding rulers of the Vietnamese nation more than four thousand years ago. It has been an official paid public holiday since 2007 and is observed with ceremonies at the Hùng Kings Temple complex in Phú Thọ Province, a UNESCO-recognized site of cultural heritage. In 2026 the holiday falls on April 27 on the Gregorian calendar.
Other Key Lunar Festivals
Beyond Tết, the lunar calendar governs a rich cycle of cultural observances. Tết Đoan Ngọ (5/5 âm lịch) is the summer solstice festival, traditionally celebrated with glutinous rice wine and fruit to ward off insects and disease. Vu Lan (15/7 âm lịch) is a Buddhist festival of filial piety modeled on the story of Mục Kiền Liên, during which Vietnamese families honor deceased ancestors. Tết Trung Thu (15/8 âm lịch), the Mid-Autumn Festival, is marked by mooncakes and lantern processions. The full moon of every lunar month — called rằm — also carries spiritual significance, with many families burning incense and offering food at home altars.
Lunar dates also influence daily life in practical ways. Many Vietnamese consult the âm lịch to choose ngày tốt (auspicious days) for weddings, business openings, house moves, and funerals. Death anniversaries (giỗ) are observed on the lunar date of passing rather than the solar date, so family members track both calendars year-round.
How to Use This Tool
- Navigate months and years — use the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the calendar to move forward or backward one month at a time. Click the month or year label to jump directly to any month.
- Read lunar dates — each cell shows the Gregorian date in large text and the corresponding âm lịch date in smaller blue text at the bottom-right. On the first day of a new lunar month, you will see the format 1/Month (for example, 1/1 marks Tết).
- Spot holidays instantly — public holidays are highlighted in red. Hover over any highlighted date to see the full holiday name in a tooltip.
- Find today — today's date is highlighted in yellow, making it easy to orient yourself and count days to the next holiday.
- Check any year — the tool calculates lunar dates and holiday positions dynamically for any year, past or future, so you can plan well in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The calendar above highlights today in yellow and displays the corresponding lunar (âm lịch) date in blue in the bottom-right corner of each cell. On the first day of a new lunar month, you will see '1/Month' — for example '1/5' means the first day of the fifth lunar month.
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The Vietnamese lunar year starting on January 29, 2026 is the Year of the Horse (Năm Bính Ngọ, 丙午). Bính is the third Heavenly Stem (Fire Yang) and Ngọ is the seventh Earthly Branch (Horse). The year runs from January 29, 2026 to February 16, 2027.
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Tết Nguyên Đán 2026 falls on January 29, 2026 (solar calendar). This is the first day of the first lunar month (1/1 âm lịch). The public holiday period officially runs for five consecutive days, though many businesses close for up to two weeks.
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Several major Vietnamese holidays follow the Gregorian calendar and never move: January 1 (International New Year), April 30 (Reunification Day), May 1 (International Labour Day), and September 2 (National Day). Two important holidays are on fixed lunar dates: Tết on 1/1 âm lịch and Hùng Kings' Day on 10/3 âm lịch.
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Vietnam and China both use lunisolar calendars, but Vietnam calculates the new moon using UTC+7 (Hanoi time) while China uses UTC+8 (Beijing time). When a new moon occurs near midnight, this one-hour difference can cause the first day of a lunar month to fall one day later in Vietnam than in China. This is why Vietnamese and Chinese Tết occasionally occur on different dates — though it is rare.
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Hùng Kings' Day is a Vietnamese public holiday observed on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month (10/3 âm lịch). It commemorates the legendary Hùng Kings, considered the founders of the Vietnamese nation. UNESCO has recognized the associated Hùng Kings' Temple Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The holiday has been a paid national holiday since 2007.
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In 2026, the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month (10/3 âm lịch) falls on April 27, 2026 on the Gregorian calendar. This is an official paid public holiday in Vietnam.
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By law, Vietnamese workers receive five official public holiday days for Tết Nguyên Đán: the day before the Lunar New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year's Eve, and three days of Tết (1st, 2nd, and 3rd of the first lunar month). Many companies also grant additional days off as part of annual leave. Combined with surrounding weekends, the Tết break often lasts seven to nine days or longer.
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Rằm refers to the 15th day of each lunar month — the full moon day. It holds spiritual significance in Vietnamese Buddhism and folk religion. On rằm, many Vietnamese families burn incense, offer food to ancestors, and pray at home altars or local pagodas. The most important rằm days are Rằm tháng Giêng (1st lunar month) and Rằm tháng Bảy (7th lunar month, Vu Lan festival).
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Yes, significantly. During Tết (approximately five to seven days centered on 1/1 âm lịch), most private businesses, markets, and small shops close entirely, often for up to two weeks. Banks, government offices, and state-owned enterprises follow the official five-day public holiday schedule. Other lunar holidays such as Hùng Kings' Day (10/3 âm lịch) are single-day public holidays where all businesses officially close.