The Pilgrimage Begins
If you are a tourist in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City today (February 13th), you might notice a shift in the energy.
The city center is starting to feel a little… lighter. But the roads leading out of the city are completely jammed.
Welcome to the “Great Migration”—or as we call it, Về Quê (Returning to the Countryside).
For the next 72 hours, millions of workers, students, and families will leave the big cities to return to their ancestral villages. This isn’t just a holiday trip. It is a sacred duty.
1. The Question of the Week
If you speak to any local this week—your taxi driver, your hotel receptionist, your waiter—you will hear them asking each other the same question: “Bao giờ về quê?” (When do you go home?) It is the only thing on our minds. The city is where we make money, but the countryside is where our soul lives.
2. Why We Go
In the West, Christmas is often about presents. In Vietnam, Tet is strictly about Presence.
We travel hundreds of kilometers on cramped buses or motorbikes just to be present at the family altar on New Year’s Eve.
We go home to clean the graves of our ancestors. We go home to eat a meal cooked by our mother. We go home to reconnect with the village soil that raised us.
3. The “Ghost Town” Reward
For you (the traveler), this migration has a magical side effect.
By Sunday or Monday, Hanoi and Saigon will transform. The chaotic traffic will vanish. The constant honking will stop. Hanoi during the actual days of Tet (Feb 17-19) is a “Ghost Town”—but in the most beautiful way possible.
You can walk across the street without fear. You can hear the leaves falling on the pavement. It is the most peaceful time of the year to be here.
4. A Note on Service
Because everyone is going home, you might find that some restaurants or shops are closing down for the week. Don’t be frustrated. Be happy for them. The person who served you coffee all year has finally gone home to see their parents.
While the city slows down, Tonkin Travel never stops caring for you.
Our support team is active throughout the holiday to ensure your trip is smooth, even as the rest of the country takes a nap.
Enjoy the peace of the “Empty City”—it’s a rare privilege.
