Which ethnic groups in Vietnam celebrate their own New Year separately from Tet Nguyen Dan?

Which ethnic groups in Vietnam celebrate their own New Year separately from Tet Nguyen Dan?

The ethnic groups that celebrate their own New Year separately from Tet Nguyen Dan include the Mong in the Northwest and North Central regions, the Hoa Ha Nhi in Lai Chau and Dien Bien, the Cong in Dien Bien, the La Hu in Lai Chau, the Si La in Lai Chau and Dien Bien, the Cham, the Khmer of the Mekong Delta, and many peoples of the Truong Son range and the Central Highlands such as the Xo Dang, Mnong, Ma, Brau, Ede, Hre and Co Ho. According to Dr. Tran Huu Son, director of the Vietnam Institute for Applied Research in Folk Arts, ethnic minorities in Vietnam today have three forms of celebrating the New Year by their own traditional calendars, alongside celebrating Tet Nguyen Dan^[1][2].

This classification is based on field surveys by a folk culture researcher, published in Van Hoa newspaper and VietnamPlus (VNA)^[1][2].

Why do these ethnic groups celebrate the New Year at different times?

The main reason lies in each people's calendar and agricultural cycle. The New Year festival is tied to the transition between the old year and the new year according to each people's own calendar, not necessarily to the common lunar calendar of the Kinh^[2].

In the Central Highlands, most indigenous peoples follow an agricultural calendar. Every year, after the dry season, when the first rains come with the first thunder of the year signalling the approaching rainy season, around the end of the second or the beginning of the third lunar month, they regard this as the start of the new year^[2].

For the Mong, the New Year does not fall on a fixed date but is set by the council of village elders and headmen on the basis of the transition between the old and new harvests and favourable weather. Thus each village and region may celebrate on different days within that period^[3][4].

When does the Mong Nao Po Trau New Year take place and what is special about it?

The Mong usually celebrate their traditional New Year at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, about one month before the Kinh Tet Nguyen Dan. The Mong New Year is called Nao Pe Chau, meaning eating Tet on the 30th day, because in Mong belief the 30th is the day when the main rituals marking the passage into a new year take place^[3].

The Mong traditional New Year lasts three to five days with offerings such as pigs, chickens, round glutinous rice cakes, incense and do paper. Pigs are usually raised from the beginning of the year and slaughtered at Tet. Chickens, especially roosters, are the main offerings in the Tet rituals. The Mong regard the chicken as a sacred animal able to ward off evil spirits and command the souls of people, buffaloes, cows, pigs and rice^[3].

The round glutinous rice cake symbolises the moon, the sun, the universe and the origin of humans and all beings; it is made from upland glutinous rice and used for worship, eating at Tet and as a gift. The incense burned is made by the people from a forest plant called long xeng. Do paper is made from young giang bamboo and used to decorate the house and as votive paper money^[3].

During Tet, the Mong often hold horse racing, spinning top, tug of war, crossbow shooting, the Gau Tao festival and pao throwing. Young men and women dress up, go out together, play leaf and lip pipes, throw pao and sing dum songs^[3].

Rituals before the Mong New Year

From the 25th of the twelfth month by the Mong calendar, people slaughter large pigs for a ceremony of thanks to ancestors and to heaven and earth. From the 27th to the 29th of Tet, at the mo priest's house, the Mong perform a rite to release the spirit soldiers (ua nenh tro khua) to return home for Tet or to wander during the festival. On the afternoon of the 30th, the Mong clean around the house and then perform the soot-sweeping rite^[3].

The soot-sweeping rite is performed by the householder tying white or red thread to three small bamboo branches with green leaves to make a broom, then sweeping the house starting from the main pillar to the sleeping rooms of family members, to the kitchen, the side door, out to the xu ca altar area, through the main door and throwing the rubbish into the garden, wishing to cast away what was bad in the old year^[3].

How does the Ha Nhi Ho Su Cha New Year differ from Tet Nguyen Dan?

For the Ha Nhi, Ho Su Cha is the New Year festival and the most important holiday of the year. The Ha Nhi celebrate Ho Su Cha much as the Kinh celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan, but earlier, usually around December, when the harvest is finished. The Ha Nhi choose the Thin day, the dragon day, the most auspicious in the month, for the ceremony welcoming the new year, a good harvest and good fortune^[2].

Artisan Po Dan Xinh of Ta Ko Khu village, Sin Thau commune, Muong Nhe district (before July 2025), Dien Bien province, says the Ha Nhi New Year ceremony begins early in the morning. First, the women of the village make floating rice cakes to offer to the spirits and ask permission for the family to slaughter a pig for Tet^[2].

For the Ha Nhi, every household must slaughter a pig at Tet. Just as the Kinh offer a chicken and use its feet to read the fortunes of the new year, the Ha Nhi slaughter a pig and use its liver to read good and bad omens for the year^[2].

The Ha Nhi look at the pig's liver to know whether the family will fare well or badly, the health of household members, whether the buffaloes, cows, pigs and chickens will be fat, and whether the rice harvest will be good. After slaughtering the pig and reading the liver, the householder takes a small part of each part of the pig, cooks porridge to offer to ancestors and spirits, and prays for good crops, healthy livestock and good luck for the family^[2].

Afterwards the family gathers for a New Year meal, then visits relatives and neighbours in the village. When night falls, to the sound of gongs and drums, villagers join hands and dance around the fire until late. The Ha Nhi Tet lasts three days^[2].

When do the Khmer and Cham New Year festivals take place?

The Khmer live mainly in the Mekong Delta, especially Tra Vinh and Soc Trang. Every year they welcome the new year at the beginning of the Chet month of the Khmer Buddhist calendar, that is, in mid-April. The Khmer New Year is called Chol Chnam Thmay, also written Bon Chol Chnam Thmay. On this occasion they wrap banh chung and banh tet, go to the pagoda and exchange greetings^[4][1].

The Cham have two major festivals regarded as Tet: Pang Kate on the 1st of the 7th Cham month, around September, and Pang Chabu on the 16th of the 7th Cham month, around February to March^[4].

In Cham belief, Pang Kate is the day of offerings to ancient Cham kings who founded the country and guided the building of farmsteads. This Tet belongs to the father, symbolises yang energy and is held in the early morning. Pang Chabu is the offering to the Po Giang goddesses, that is, Cham queens and princesses of the maternal line, symbolising yin energy, and is held in the evening^[4].

In addition, the Cham also celebrate Rija Nugar by their own calendar^[1][2].

How do the Thai, Kho Mu and Central Highlands peoples welcome the new year?

The Thai in the Northwest such as Nghia Lo, Yen Bai, celebrate the new year at the same time as Tet Nguyen Dan. During Tet, besides the traditional rites of welcoming the new year and honouring ancestors, the Thai cannot do without the village gong and drum ensemble. On New Year's Eve, from the first moment of the new year, gongs and drums resound throughout the villages to welcome spring. By day people visit and exchange New Year wishes; in the evening they bring the gongs and drums to the yard, gather together, sing love duets and play the gongs and drums^[2].

Meritorious artisan Dieu Thi Xieng of Nghia An commune, Nghia Lo town, former Yen Bai province, now part of Lao Cai, says that for more than ten years now, every spring the people have held Han Khuong and con throwing. Han Khuong is a meeting place and playground for the young men and women of the village. The con throwing festival is where villagers play on the first days of spring before the new crop, with many traditional Thai games such as con throwing, climbing a greased pole, to mac le, tug of war and finally joining hands in the Xoe dance of solidarity^[2].

The Kho Mu and some other swidden farming peoples usually welcome the new year in the ninth or tenth lunar month. The Kho Mu New Year is the new rice festival. Later, some places celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan, but the new rice festival remains the most important, with many rituals and symbolic offerings^[2].

The peoples of the Truong Son range and the Central Highlands such as Gia Lai, Ede, Ba Na, Xo Dang, Co Ho, Hre, Mnong, Raglai, Xtieng, Co Tu, Gie Trieng, Ma, Co, Cho Ro, Chu Ru, Brau and Ro Mam do not conceive of a specific Tet day but celebrate over a long period from the first to the third lunar month each year^[1][2].

On this occasion each people holds its own distinctive New Year festival. The Xo Dang repair the water trough and hold the Water Drop festival, also called On Dtro Kneng Tea. The Mnong hold a prayer for peace for the whole village, called Tam blang m'prang. The Ma hold a festival to worship the rice spirit, called Yang Koi. The Brau hold a festival for the sowing of rice, called Jamu chuoi. The Ede hold Mnăm thun. The Hre hold Htend^[2].

The Xo Dang in Kon Tum celebrate the Water Drop festival around March. This New Year festival takes place after the harvest when the water troughs begin to be repaired, to pray to the Water God, called Yang Dak, to grant the village a good harvest and abundant water^[4].

The K'Ho in Lam Dong also do not celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan. About a month after the Kinh Tet, they begin their new year. Their festival is called Nho Lir Bong, the festival welcoming the rice home. It lasts a whole month and is worshipped at each family's rice store, with the participation of the village chief and many other families^[4].

Why have some ethnic groups begun to celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan as well?

A group of ethnic minorities such as the Ta Oi and Bru Van Kieu formerly celebrated the New Year in the dry season like the Central Highlands peoples, but in recent decades they have shifted to celebrating two New Years, both Tet Nguyen Dan by the common Kinh calendar and their own traditional New Year^[1][2].

In the provinces of the Northwest and North Central regions, the authorities have not recognised the traditional New Year days of the Hmong, Ha Nhi, Cong, La Hu and Si La. In some places the people have even been urged to abandon their traditional New Year and celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan like the Kinh, on the grounds that taking traditional New Year holidays is considered backward and a waste of working time^[1].

Conversely, local authorities in some provinces such as Vinh Long, Can Tho city, Khanh Hoa and An Giang have recognised the New Year days of the Cham and Khmer and allow officials, public employees, students and workers to take holidays by the traditional calendar^[1].

Quick reference table of the New Year festivals of ethnic groups with their own Tet

Seeing the Tet of these peoples as cultural heritage

When studying Tet, one should place it in the environment that produces the cultural practice. The New Year festival embodies the traditional values of each people. Tet should not be considered and assessed from a purely economic angle but from the angle of distinctive cultural heritage^[1].

Today, as the lives of ethnic minorities improve, community cohesion and the search for roots and ethnic cultural identity are becoming important needs. People at the grassroots all wish to celebrate the traditional New Year of their own people. Tet is always tied to spiritual and cultural life and cannot be ignored^[1].

In many countries such as Australia and Japan, although the New Year is celebrated by the solar calendar, the traditional New Year days of some regions, localities and peoples are still respected. In Australia, states with large communities of Vietnamese, Chinese and Filipinos are allowed by the government to take their New Year holidays. In 2018 the Australian government gave Vietnamese people a holiday for the Vietnamese Tet on 15 February 2018, that is, the 30th of Tet^[1].

Nhat Nguyet's suggestion: When learning about the Tet of ethnic minorities, readers should place each custom in the calendar and harvest context of that people itself, rather than comparing it with Tet Nguyen Dan in terms of better or worse. Differences in timing, rituals, food and games reflect cultural diversity, not the completeness or decline of a custom.