Tet 2026: Turning Tradition into Business Readiness in Vietnam

Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, returns every year with familiar rituals – yet for businesses, its impact is anything but repetitive. Compared with last year, Tet has become even more dynamic: consumer behavior is more digital, expectations around employee care are rising, and compliance-sensitive topics such as gifting and lucky money require greater clarity.

This updated “Tet 2.0” briefing builds on earlier insights and focuses on what German companies should pay special attention to now – not by revisiting cultural basics, but by highlighting practical shifts, expectations, and decision points that increasingly shape business success in Vietnam.

From Cultural Awareness to Business Readiness

For German companies, Tet is no longer just about understanding cultural traditions. It has become a stress test for operational resilience, HR strategy, and relationship management.

Vietnamese partners expect foreign companies to be well prepared, respectful of local rhythms, and realistic in planning. Those who underestimate Tet often face delayed deliveries, talent dissatisfaction, or strained partnerships – not because of cultural missteps, but because of insufficient anticipation.

Tiệc Tất Niên: The Unspoken Milestone Before Tet

One Tet-related tradition that is often not common in foreign companies is the year-end party, known in Vietnamese as tiệc tất niên. While it may resemble an annual company dinner, its meaning in Vietnamese organizations goes far beyond a social gathering.

For Vietnamese employees, tiệc tất niên marks the symbolic and emotional closing of the working year. It signals that the company pauses together before Tet begins and that individual efforts are recognized as part of a collective achievement.

In many organizations, this event is closely tied to Tet expectations:

• It usually takes place one to three weeks before Tet
• Senior management’s presence is highly valued
• The tone is informal, inclusive, and appreciative rather than performance-driven
• All employees are expected to be invited, regardless of position

Importantly, tiệc tất niên is often seen as complementary to Tet bonuses, not a substitute.

Operations: Planning for Absence

Most Vietnamese businesses close for 7–9 consecutive days, often starting one to two days before Tet Eve. While this is well known, what has intensified is the pre-Tet compression effect:

• Demand in manufacturing, logistics, and trade can spike 1.5–2 times compared to normal months.
• Transport capacity tightens as workers return to their hometowns.
• Administrative processes slow down earlier than official holidays suggest.

Many companies now plan for a “soft reopening” after Tet, with limited staffing in the first week. Full productivity may only return gradually.

What’s new in practice

German companies increasingly align milestone planning and delivery schedules around Tet rather than through it – a shift from reactive adjustment to proactive calendar design.

Gifting, Lucky Money, and the Compliance Gap

Gifting: Expected, but Evolving

Tet remains the most important moment for corporate gifting. However, the nature of gifts is changing:

• Less focus on luxury, more on health, quality, and symbolism
• Premium tea, dried fruits, nuts, or traditional gift boxes are common
• Packaging, presentation, and timing matter as much as value

Gifts are perceived as relationship investments, not transactions.

Lucky Money (“Lì Xì”): Respecting Tradition Within Professional Frameworks

Giving red envelopes with small amounts of money to employees – especially junior staff – is a widespread and emotionally meaningful practice. It symbolizes good wishes, not remuneration.

Here lies a clear difference between Vietnamese customs and German corporate frameworks.

For German companies, this means:

• Lucky money can be appropriate internally, if modest and transparent
• External recipients (especially public-sector contacts) require caution
• Alignment with internal compliance rules is essential

Many German companies now choose symbolic amounts, vouchers, or team-based gestures that respect tradition while staying compliant.

The key is not whether to participate – but how to participate responsibly.

HR Expectations: Tet as a Loyalty Moment

Tet has become a defining moment for employee perception. Beyond the widely expected 13th-month bonus, employees increasingly look at:

• Fairness and clarity in bonus communication
• Thoughtful Tet gift sets for staff
• Flexibility for travel and family commitments

For companies employing migrant workers, extended absences remain common. Businesses that plan transparently and re-engage employees after Tet often see lower post-holiday turnover.

Market Behavior: Digital First, Tradition Still Strong

Consumer behavior around Tet continues to evolve:

• E-commerce and live-stream shopping have surged
• Express delivery (even within hours) is becoming standard
• At the same time, traditional markets remain central for symbolic items such as banh chung, flowers, and decorations

For German brands, this means Tet is not only a cultural season but also a highly competitive commercial window, where timing, storytelling, and localization decide visibility.

The Symbolic Restart: “Khai Xuân” Gains Importance

Choosing an auspicious reopening day (“Khai Xuân”) has gained renewed relevance, especially among Vietnamese SMEs and family-owned firms. Some companies organize small internal ceremonies, while others simply mark the first working day intentionally.

For German firms, participation does not require ritual knowledge – but acknowledgement matters. A short greeting, a team breakfast, or symbolic presence by management is often appreciated and seen as a sign of long-term commitment.

Where Architecture Meets Community’s Culture

These moments of transition around Tet, closing the year together, reconnecting after the holiday, and easing back into work, also highlight the growing importance of workplaces as shared human spaces, not just functional offices. A good example is Deutsches Haus Ho Chi Minh City, which brings together German businesses, diplomacy, and community under one roof. Beyond its role as a premium office building, it regularly hosts business gatherings, cultural events, and informal exchanges that resonate with Vietnam’s relationship-driven business culture. In this way, it reflects a broader trend visible during Tet: business environments that leave room for connection, dialogue, and shared experience, where professional life and human interaction naturally intersect.

Tet 2026: From Disruption to Strategic Advantage

Nowadays, Tet is less about “what happens” and more about how companies respond. German businesses that treat Tet as a strategic planning factor – not a cultural exception – are better positioned to:

• Maintain reliable supply chains
• Strengthen trust with Vietnamese partners
• Retain talent in a competitive labor market
• Align cultural participation with compliance standards

With Vietnam continuing to grow as a key market and production hub for German companies, Tet remains a powerful reminder that business success is shaped not only by numbers but by timing, trust, and cultural intelligence.

We support German companies in navigating these moments – from operational planning and HR strategies to culturally sensitive, compliance-aligned engagement.

Tet may pause daily business – but handled well, it accelerates long-term partnerships.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới – and a successful start into the new business year – The Year of The Horse – in Vietnam.