Immigration Office Availability and Visa Processing During Lunar New Year

General Travel
1

Greetings all. I am currently reconciling my travel schedule for the upcoming fiscal quarter and have a planned trip to Vietnam in early February. I noticed this timeline coincides with the Lunar New Year (Tet) celebrations.

Could seasoned travelers or locals confirm the exact operational status of the Immigration Department during this period? Specifically, does the visa processing system completely halt for the entire holiday week, or is there a skeleton crew? I need to ensure my entry permit is secured before the fiscal year reporting period begins. Check the sum of days, a delay would be problematic. Thank you kindly.

2

Oh, welcome to Hanoi during Tet! It is the most special time, truly soul warming, but you must know that everything administrative stops. The freshness of the new year takes over! The offices will be closed for at least 7 days, and no one will be looking at applications. Enjoy the flowers and peach blossoms, but do not expect a visa approval during the festival.

3

Short answer: yes — processing basically stops during Tet. Plan as if there is ZERO movement.

During Tết Nguyên Đán:

  • Government offices (including immigration) are fully closed

  • No application processing, no approvals, no responses

  • It’s not really a “skeleton crew” situation — it’s a hard shutdown

Typical impact:

  • Official holiday: ~5–7 days

  • Real disruption: 7–10+ days (because of backlog before + after)

For visas (especially e-visa/approval letters):

  • Applications submitted right before Tet often just sit in queue

  • Processing resumes only after offices reopen → expect delays

What you should do:

  • Apply at least 2–3 weeks before Tet, ideally earlier

  • Don’t rely on “standard processing times” during this period

  • If timing is tight, consider:

    • expedited/urgent visa services (third-party)

    • or finalize everything well before late January

Reality check:
Every year people get caught by this — systems don’t fail, they just pause completely.

If your trip is early February, safest move is:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: get the visa approved before Tet starts, not during.