VI
EN
Running until February 21st, 2026 (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year), the Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival 2026 (Year of the Horse) is held at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural Center, creating a unique cultural space in the heart of the city. Now in its 19th year, the festival is not only a familiar spring outing destination for city residents but has also become a cultural landmark every Lunar New Year.
The Spring Festival at the Youth Cultural Center has become a cultural highlight every Tet holiday.
Amidst the bustling pace of modern city life, the festival offers a warm, tranquil moment where the golden hues of apricot blossoms, the scent of ink, the sounds of spring music, and the lively footsteps blend together, evoking enduring traditional values that have stood the test of time.
"Ancient Beauty" Space: The Soul of the Nation in the Golden Apricot Blossom
Stepping onto the Phạm Ngọc Thạch street frontage, visitors are easily greeted by the vibrant yellow of the apricot blossom trees – a prominent visual highlight of this year's festival. The apricot blossoms are arranged harmoniously, combining artistic shaping techniques, stretching like a spring silk ribbon through the city streets. This yellow color not only symbolizes wealth and good fortune, but also conveys the aspiration for a prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable new year.
The facade of the Youth Cultural Center is covered in vibrant yellow apricot blossoms.
The "Old Beauty" space recreates familiar images of Vietnamese Tet: the calligrapher's street, the New Year's pole, the spring kitchen, the golden straw stack, the flowerbeds in the front yard... All are meticulously arranged, creating a spring scene rich in Southern Vietnamese character but still subtly reflecting the origins of the Red River civilization. Simple details such as wooden tables and chairs, chrysanthemum arrangements, golden straw, or bamboo window frames skillfully evoke memories of a Tet family reunion, where each person finds a connection with tradition.
Traditional Tet (Vietnamese New Year) atmospheres are recreated in many diverse aspects.
This year, the Calligrapher's Street attracted over 50 young calligraphers, setting up their ink and red paper along the surrounding streets. Besides requesting calligraphy for the new year, many young people also wrote their wishes themselves. The atmosphere was lively, with people waiting to have their lucky money envelopes drawn, others patiently waiting for the calligraphy strokes, and still others taking the opportunity to capture the moment amidst the traditional setting.
The street of calligraphers is bustling with people.
Ms. Truc's family, who live near the Youth Cultural Center, said they visit the festival every year. She shared that Tet in Saigon is incomplete for her family without gatherings at places like the festival at the Youth Cultural Center or Nguyen Hue Flower Street. This year, she, her husband, and their two young children took commemorative photos with the traditional toy maker Le Xuan Tung – an experience the children thoroughly enjoyed.
Ms. Truc's family poses for a photo with traditional toy maker Nguyen Xuan Tung.
Besides calligraphy, traditional craft villages such as Bat Trang pottery and clay figurine making also attract a large number of visitors. Skilled hands creating animal figures, folk dolls, and other exquisite handcrafted products make the space more vibrant and enriching the experience.
The emergence of traditional craft villages adds vibrancy to the space.
"Radiant Today": The Grand Opening of the Spring and the Inner Journey
If "Beauty of the Past" is a realm of memories, then "Radiant Today" opens up an artistic journey imbued with a contemporary spirit. A new feature of this year's festival is the art exhibition "Grand Horse Opening the Spring," which takes the horse – the mascot of the Year of the Horse 2026 – as its central inspiration.
This year's festival centers around the image of the horse – the mascot of the Year of the Horse (Bính Ngọ).
The six art spaces are designed as six chapters of a spring symphony. Each space represents an inner strength: faith, courage, aspiration, creativity, connection, and hope. The artworks are arranged independently but are closely linked, creating a continuous journey for viewers to both admire and reflect upon.
The image of the horse appears in many forms: sculpture, lighting, painting, and multimedia installations. Beyond symbolizing strength and speed, "The Great Horse ushers in Spring" also evokes a spirit of daring, of being ready to move forward with powerful momentum. In the context of a constantly transforming city, the exhibition serves as a message about the nation's era of progress – where tradition is the foundation for creativity and innovation.
The image of the horse in "The Great Horse Opening Spring" symbolizes a spirit of daring and powerful acceleration.
A meeting point for 20 days of vibrant spring festivities.
Taking place throughout the 20 days of the Lunar New Year, the festival has become a familiar destination for families, groups of young people, and tourists from neighboring provinces. The spring atmosphere permeates from the display of the horse mascot, the miniature scenes of apricot blossoms and golden straw, to the shopping areas for clothes, accessories, food, and cafes. The bustling crowds demonstrate the enduring appeal of a well-invested cultural space.
Almost every stall at the festival was crowded with visitors.
The organizers stated that, in addition to daytime activities, the nightly art program is also meticulously prepared: from traditional folk music, Hue royal court music, and Ca Tru singing to lion and dragon dances, traditional music and dance, and performances by young bands. The fusion of traditional art and modern influences creates a vibrant tapestry, satisfying the tastes of audiences of all generations.
The festival also becomes a space for entertainment and learning about traditional culture for young people.
After 19 years of being held, the Vietnamese Tet Festival at the Youth Cultural Center is not only a familiar spring outing destination but has also become a part of the Tet memories of many generations of Saigonese people. From the vibrant yellow apricot blossoms to the spirited "Grand Horse Opening the Spring" space, this year's festival continues to affirm the vitality of traditional values amidst the modern development of the city.
