As Asia welcomed the Year of the Horse on Feb. 17, travel experts are highlighting Hoi An’s Tet celebrations for their authenticity and “human scale.”
According to British magazine Time OutHoi An is ranked second among six best Asian destinations to travel for Lunar New Year, or Tetcelebrations.
“Hoi An’s Lunar New Year celebrations offer a gentler take on Tetunfolding across the lantern-lit streets of its UNESCO-listed Old Town. Don’t come expecting a mega parade, though. It’s mostly a series of cultural rituals and community-led festivities that blend seamlessly into daily life,” the magazine writes.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Hoai River glows with floating lantern releases, accompanied by low-altitude fireworks, lion-dragon dances, bai choi folk singing and the bua bag blessing procession.
The celebrations extend beyond the Old Town to surrounding craft villages, where festivals such as the Kim Bong Carpentry Ancestors’ Ceremony and Tra Que’s Cau Bong Festival add cultural depth to the holiday, it said.
Foreign visitors sit and listen to bai choi folk singing in Hoi An during Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 16, 2026. Photo by Cuong Art |
Across the region, major cities are also preparing large-scale celebrations.
In Singapore, which takes the lead, the Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations will illuminate the historic district from Feb. 17 to March 18 with 60 galloping horse lantern installations and a towering 8.8-meter golden horse centerpiece, alongside lion dance competitions and a New Year countdown at Kreta Ayer Square.
Hong Kong in third place will stage its annual Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade in Tsim Sha Tsui on Feb. 17, featuring zodiac-themed floats and international performance troupes.
In southern China, Guangzhou in fourth place, will host its centuries-old Spring Festival Flower Markets from Feb. 4 to 16, with 11 major markets and more than 2,600 stalls citywide, including a waterfront market at Canton Tower Square.
Seoul, ranked fifth, will mark Seollal at Gyeongbokgung Palace from Feb. 16 to 18, opening palace courtyards for traditional games, royal court music and cultural performances. In Malaysia, Penang’s Kek Lok Si Temple will stage its annual lighting ceremony, transforming the hilltop complex into a lantern-lit spectacle throughout the holiday period.
While Asia’s largest cities deliver scale and spectacle, Hoi An’s appeal lies in its atmosphere: lanterns drifting over the river, ancestral rites carried out in centuries-old houses, and craft village ceremonies that preserve local heritage. For travelers seeking a culturally immersive start to the Year of the Horse, Hoi An stands out as one of 2026’s most distinctive Lunar New Year destinations.
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