Lao Cai (VNA) – Key tourist destinations in Lao Cai province are rolling out new products and fast-tracking preparations to welcome a surge of visitors during the extended Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday 2026.
According to the New Horizons 2026 ranking recently released by digital travel platform Agoda, Sa Pa has climbed to the top position as Asia’s fastest-growing and most popular emerging destination among international travellers. The result underscores the rising appeal of the “city in the mist” on the regional and global tourism map.
During the 2026 Tet holiday, Sa Pa is expected to remain one of Vietnam’s most sought-after destinations for both domestic and international visitors. With a long holiday break and a growing preference for cultural, nature-based and festive early-spring experiences, visitor numbers are forecast to spike, particularly from the first day of Tet through the full-moon period of the first lunar month.
Against this backdrop, the Sa Pa Community Connection Cultural Cooperative has launched a special Tet experience tour series titled “Sa Pa – A Different Shade of Spring Each Day”, showcasing the rituals, culture and cuisine of five local ethnic groups. Designed under the model of “one theme – one session – one ethnic group,” each tour lasts around 3.5–4 hours and caters to both group and individual travellers. Visitors can witness excerpts of traditional rituals, join folk games, interact and take photos with artisans, shop for local products and savour distinctive ethnic cuisines.
Hoang Thi Vuong, Chairwoman of the cooperative’s board of directors, said the core value of the programme lies in its authenticity and strong community involvement. All activities are conducted directly by local artisans and ritual masters, while the cooperative acts mainly as a connector and organiser. The cultural bearers remain the community itself, allowing visitors to engage with local culture in a vivid, authentic and respectful way, she noted.
The cooperative’s aim, Vuong stressed, is not merely to create a Tet tourism product, but to restore traditional rituals and customs to their rightful place in contemporary life. When culture is conveyed through real experiences, visitors can truly feel its depth, while local communities gain stronger motivation to preserve their heritage, she said.
Under the programme schedule, from the fifth day of Tet to mid–first lunar month, visitors will experience hallmark rituals and festivals of different ethnic groups. On the fifth day of Tet, the Red Dao New Year features the Fire Jumping ritual, a sacred ceremony expressing gratitude to ancestors and deities, symbolising purification, good health and new beginnings. On the sixth day, the Tay people’s Khuou Then ceremony is reenacted, marking a ritual of thanksgiving to Then masters and prayers for peace and prosperity. The Xa Pho New Year festival takes place on the 11th day of the first lunar month, with folk dances, games and a lively village atmosphere. This is followed on the 12th by the Giay people's Field-Going Festival, which opens the new agricultural year and prays for bountiful harvests. The experience series concludes on the 13th with the Mong people’s Gau Tao Festival, a sacred early-year event seeking blessings, health and prosperity for families and communities.
In parallel, Sa Pa is hosting a continuous lineup of cultural activities to enhance visitor experiences and encourage longer stays, including the Spring Festival, the Heaven’s Gate Spring Fair, Colours of Spring at Silver Waterfall, and the Ham Rong Mountain Festival.
According to the Lao Cai provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, around 102 cultural, sporting, traditional festival and tourism events will be organised across the province to celebrate the 2026 Lunar New Year, running from February 8 to March 25. The programme aims to promote Lao Cai’s image while showcasing its distinctive cultural values and signature tourism products.
A major highlight is the Spring Festival scheduled from February 20 to March 8 in Bac Ha commune, featuring a rich mix of cultural, artistic, sporting and tourism activities imbued with strong local identity, expected to attract large numbers of visitors.
Pham Thi Non, Vice Chairwoman of the Bac Ha People’s Committee, said visitors during the festival can tour local agricultural research and production sites to admire a radiant spring landscape, where pink peach blossoms, white plum flowers and golden mustard fields intertwine. The event celebrates natural beauty linked with distinctive agricultural values, reinforcing Bac Ha’s reputation as a highland “kingdom of fruits and vegetables” on Vietnam’s tourism and agri-product map.
Visitors can also experience the weekly traditional horse racing event, where barefoot riders showcase courage and martial spirit, delivering thrilling and memorable moments while honouring a nationally recognised intangible cultural heritage.
The Spring Festival further immerses visitors in local culture at the traditional buffalo market, one of the most distinctive expressions of highland community life, before taking them on a journey through history at the Hoang A Tuong Mansion, renowned for its elegant Asia–Europe fusion architecture and legendary past.
According to initial observations, interest in accommodation bookings in Bac Ha during the Tet holiday has surged, with demand concentrated mainly on homestays and community-based lodging, signalling a buoyant start to the spring tourism season in Lao Cai./.
