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With 5 February fast approaching, Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, is almost upon us. The nation festival – where Vietnamese from far and wide make the pilgrimage back to their hometown and week-long street parties where locals ward-off evil spirits with the din of exploding fireworks, banging drums and raucous displays of Lion Dancers.
Well, that is how it is supposed to be; a traditional festival seeing in the new year at home with friends and family. However, the times they are a changin’, as a new report from OTA, Agoda reveals, Vietnamese are increasingly opting to eschew hearth and home in favour of destinations abroad.
Vietnamese family partaking of Tat Nien meal, on family reunion day, during Tet
According to Agoda’s data, for the first time ever Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have entered the top ten rankings, as travellers buck tradition to spend the holiday season abroad.
On top of which, Bangkok has leapfrogged Ho Chi Minh City’s crown for the most-booked Tet destination, a title Ho Chi Minh City held for at least the last two years.
Top ten Tết destinations
| Ranking | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 1 | Ho Chi Minh City | Ho Chi Minh City | Bangkok |
| 2 | Bangkok | Bangkok | Dalat |
| 3 | Phan Thiet | Hanoi | Nha Trang |
| 4 | Nha Trang | Da Nang | Phan Thiet |
| 5 | Da Nang | Vung Tau | Da Nang |
| 6 | Hanoi | Nha Trang | Singapore |
| 7 | Vung Tau | Phan Thiet | Vung Tau |
| 8 | Dalat | Dalat | Phu Quoc Island |
| 9 | Phu Quoc Island | Hoi An | Kuala Lumpur |
| 10 | Hoi An | Phu Quoc Island | Ho Chi Minh City |
