New Year in Vietnam: Where to Go, How to Get There and What It Costs

Vietnam stretches about 1,600 km from north to south, so “New Year in Vietnam” can mean a cool, drizzly Hanoi, a rainy central coast or hot, dry beaches in the south — all on the same day. Here is where to go over Christmas and New Year, how to get there and what to budget.

The short version

• For a beach holiday, go south: Mui Ne and Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City and the coast around it. The north is cool in winter; the centre is at the tail of its rainy season.
• Fly into Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) or Cam Ranh (CXR). Both are roughly 3–4 hours by road from Mui Ne.
• Check your visa rules early. Many nationalities enter visa-free for a set number of days; everyone else can apply for an e-visa of up to 90 days online.
• Vietnam’s big holiday is Tết, not 1 January. In 2027 it falls on 6 February. Early January is business as usual.

North, centre or south?

Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa are at their coolest: daytime around 18–20 °C in Hanoi, often grey, and close to freezing in the Sapa mountains. Great for food and sightseeing, not for swimming. Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An get the north-east monsoon rain until late December; January is drier but the sea is often rough. Nha Trang is borderline — its wet season runs October to December. The south is in its dry season from December to April: sunshine, about 30 °C, sea around 25–27 °C. More detail in our guide to Vietnam’s weather in December and January.

Mui Ne or Phu Quoc?

Phu Quoc is the place for calm water and lazy beach days. Mui Ne in December and January has steady, strong wind nearly every day — which is why kitesurfers fly in from all over the world. You can still swim, best in the morning, but the real draw is learning something: kitesurfing, surfing on wind swell or wingfoiling. If you want your holiday to end with a new skill, Mui Ne is the obvious pick.

Getting there

Ho Chi Minh City is the main international gateway, with connections through Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, Seoul and the Chinese hubs. Cam Ranh, near Nha Trang, is an alternative with direct flights from several countries. From either airport it is about 3–4 hours to Mui Ne by car. A private transfer costs €60 per 4-seat car or €70 per 7-seater, one way — the price is per car, not per person. Holiday fares climb as the dates approach, so book early — the New Year package builder has a flight search pre-filled with your dates.

Budget

• Flights vary the most, depending on where you fly from and how early you book.
• Accommodation costs more on the nights of 31 December – 2 January. As an example, in our packages a week in a Deluxe room at Sandunes Beach Resort, home of the K1 station, from 28 December to 4 January is 11.4 million dong per room for two, breakfast included.
• Lessons: a one-week kitesurfing course (6+1 h) is €300, surfing (6+3 h) €200, wingfoiling (6 h) €320, all gear included.

Food is cheap by European standards, and a rented scooter costs a few dollars a day — you need a motorcycle licence and insurance that covers riding it.

Insurance

Standard travel policies often exclude kitesurfing and surfing. Pick one that names water sports explicitly before you fly. For what else to pack, see what to pack for Mui Ne.

Bottom line

For warm sea and sunshine over New Year, head to southern Vietnam. To come home with a new sport as well, choose Mui Ne: dry season, wind almost daily and a station right on the hotel beach. Ready-made 7-, 10- and 14-night packages, or your own dates, are on the New Year in Mui Ne page.