This Is a Tet 2026 Retrospective, Not a List of Events Still Taking Place
The original article was published on 5 February 2026, when many Tet spaces were still preparing to open. Today, all seasonal programmes such as Nguyen Hue Flower Street, the Vietnamese Tet Festival, Binh Dong Flower Market, Tet Book Street and Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival have already ended.
Some locations remain regular destinations, including Diamond Plaza, Saigon Riverfront Park and the 8 Vo Van Tan site. However, the floral installations, exhibitions, spring displays and event schedules described here belonged specifically to the 2026 Lunar New Year season.
The Flower Street opened from 7 PM on 15 February until 9 PM on 22 February.
The Vietnamese Tet Festival carried the theme “Old Beauty in Today’s Radiance”.
The Tet flower market was planned with more than 500 business points.
Visitor numbers recorded across the three festival spaces after eight days.
Flower Street 2026: Spring Displays with a Distinct Night-Time Version
Nguyen Hue Flower Street
The theme “Spring of Convergence – Stepping Forward with Confidence” unfolded through three chapters: Spring of Integration – Brocade Roots – Steady Steps into the Future.
The 2026 edition marked the 23rd season of Nguyen Hue Flower Street and developed a clearer day-and-night experience within the same space. During the day, the focus was on floral structures and zodiac mascots; at night, projection mapping, interactive lighting and digital visual effects added another layer.
Highlights included “The Nine-Maned Horse”, “The Free-Spirited Horse” and large-scale installations inspired by folk culture and the image of the city after its administrative expansion.
Youth Cultural House: Traditional Tet beside Contemporary Installation Art
Vietnamese Tet Festival & “Spring Horse Hooves”
“Old Beauty in Today’s Radiance” brought together Calligraphy Street, yellow-apricot displays and contemporary installations.
In 2026, the Vietnamese Tet Festival at the Youth Cultural House continued the Calligraphy Street tradition with more than 50 young calligraphers, alongside yellow-apricot displays, spring kitchen experiences, craft spaces and artistic performances.
“Spring Horse Hooves” added a contemporary installation layer that contrasted with the traditional Tet setting. This is a more accurate way to describe the experience than simply calling it a “viral check-in spot”.
The “Wharf and Boats” Flower Market: Spring Arriving by Water
Binh Dong Tet Flower Market
One of the most distinctive Tet scenes in the Cho Lon – Tau Hu Canal area.
According to the 2026 plan, the market had more than 500 business points, including around 420 flower and ornamental-plant stalls and roughly 80 stalls for agricultural products, OCOP goods and food. The most memorable feature remained the relationship between road and water, where flowers from growing regions arrived in a setting that still reflects the river-trading history of Saigon – Cho Lon.
If Nguyen Hue represented central urban Tet, Binh Dong moved at a slower rhythm, closer to the tradition of buying flowers in the days before Lunar New Year’s Eve.
Tet Book Street 2026: from One Central Boulevard to Three Festival Spaces across the Expanded City
Tet Book Street Festival
More than 80 activities on Le Loi, with additional spaces in Binh Duong and Vung Tau.
The 2026 festival was more than a place to buy books. Along Le Loi there were 15 major stage programmes, 20 themed exhibitions, more than 30 workshops and experiences combining heritage with technology.
After eight days, the three festival spaces recorded more than 1.1 million visits and nearly VND 8.2 billion in revenue. These figures allow the article to look back at actual outcomes rather than only pre-opening expectations.
Saigon Riverfront Park: Another View of the Central Skyline
Saigon Riverfront Park
Riverfront space, sunflower gardens and an open view toward the city centre gave Tet a more contemporary visual character.
Thu Thiem Riverfront Park offers a reverse view of central Ho Chi Minh City: instead of standing within busy streets, visitors can look across the river toward the skyline, particularly attractive in late afternoon and early evening.
During Lunar New Year’s Eve 2026, the Thu Thiem riverfront area was also popular for watching fireworks. However, the image used in the original article is illustrative and should not be treated as a photograph of the exact park viewpoint on that specific night.
Spring Flower Festival: More Focus on Ornamental Plants, Bonsai and Floral Art
46th Ho Chi Minh City Spring Flower Festival
A long-running seasonal event suited to families and visitors interested in ornamental plants.
The 2026 Spring Flower Festival ran for 11 days at Tao Dan Park, bringing together yellow apricot blossom, orchids, bonsai, ornamental plants and seasonal landscape installations. Unlike Nguyen Hue, the emphasis here was more strongly on plants, floral art and garden-style displays within a park setting.
The location also worked naturally within a central itinerary including Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia.
From Vacant Project Land to a Temporary Public Space before Tet
Public Landscape Space at 8 Vo Van Tan
An urban-regeneration story more meaningful than describing it simply as a “minimalist oasis”.
The 8 Vo Van Tan site belonged to the Phan Dinh Phung Sports Centre project and had remained vacant for years. Before Tet 2026, the city landscaped the area, added greenery and opened it for community use from 25 January 2026.
Its significance lies in turning an enclosed, underused plot into a space accessible to the public. The original article’s image is illustrative of spring flowers and should not be taken as a precise representation of the site’s entire landscape design.
Diamond Plaza: Tet through a Commercial and Fashion-Led Lens within the Central Heritage Cluster
Diamond Plaza
An urban, shopping-oriented Tet setting beside Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and Ho Chi Minh City Book Street.
Diamond Plaza introduced a “Check-in at Tet 2026” programme and its own spring decorations. The location fits naturally into a Le Duan – Paris Commune Square itinerary, where contemporary retail architecture sits close to familiar heritage landmarks.
Unlike a flower market or park, this was a Tet experience shaped by a commercial façade, seasonal installations and shopping crowds — another layer of urban life during the holiday.
You Do Not Need to Visit All Eight Places in One Day
The original article presented the destinations as a check-in list. In practice, they make more sense when grouped geographically, avoiding unnecessary travel just to “collect photos”.
Nguyen Hue Flower Street + Tet Book Street. This was the easiest cluster to explore on foot and had one of the highest concentrations of Tet activities.
Diamond Plaza + Youth Cultural House + 8 Vo Van Tan + Tao Dan. A good half-day combination of streets, park space and cultural venues.
Binh Dong Wharf and Saigon Riverfront Park are not close to each other; they are better understood as two very different waterside experiences — one rooted in traditional flower trading, the other in the modern skyline.
Choose Accommodation by Experience Cluster, Not Only by Destination Name
Directly opposite the Museum of Fine Arts, close to Ben Thanh and convenient for the Nguyen Hue – Le Loi area.
Explore MARK El Pino RealmOn Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, a good fit for itineraries around Independence Palace, Tao Dan, Vo Van Tan and the historic central area.
Explore VIBE AboraOn Co Giang, offering another central base for guests who want access to Ben Thanh and the southern side of the city centre.
Explore NEST LightHouse SaigonQuick Information about Eight Tet 2026 Check-in Spots in Ho Chi Minh City
It opened at 7 PM on 15 February and closed at 9 PM on 22 February 2026, from the 28th day of the final lunar month through the sixth day of Tet.
The Vietnamese Tet Festival ran from 1 to 21 February 2026 under the theme “Old Beauty in Today’s Radiance”.
The announced scale was more than 500 business points, including around 420 flower and ornamental-plant points and around 80 agricultural, OCOP and food stalls.
After eight days, the three festival spaces recorded more than 1.1 million visits and nearly VND 8.2 billion in revenue.
The area was landscaped from the site of the Phan Dinh Phung Sports Centre project and opened for community use before Tet 2026. It is associated with temporary public use while the larger project awaits implementation.
Tet 2026 Has Ended, but These Eight Places Still Show Eight Different Ways the City Welcomed Spring
From a flower market beside the canal to the illuminated installations of Nguyen Hue, from Calligraphy Street to the Thu Thiem riverfront, the most memorable part was not simply getting a beautiful photo — it was seeing how each area revealed a different layer of life in Ho Chi Minh City.
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