Vietnam Ghost Festival (Vu Lan 2026): Rituals, Dates, and Spiritual Meaning

Each year during the seventh lunar month, Vietnam transforms into a realm of flickering candlelight, fragrant incense, and ancestral reverence. Families gather around humble altars, monks chant ancient prayers through wisps of smoke, and children carefully tend glowing lanterns along quiet streets. This is Vu Lan Festival in Vietnam, also known as Ram Thang Bay or Tet Trung Nguyen, Vietnam’s sacred festival for honoring the departed. During this profound spiritual period, Vietnamese believe the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin. The festival weaves together remembrance, compassion, and community as people pay tribute to both their ancestors and wandering spirits who have no descendants to care for them.

This guide will make you know more about the spiritual festival of Vietnam including its Buddhist roots and the Daoist implications, its rituals, schedule, etiquettes, and the differences between the north and the south.

Origins and Beliefs of the Ghost Festival in Vietnam

Vu Lan festival Vietnam is of Buddhist, Daoist and folk Vietnamese origin. It is based on an account of the Ullambana Festival (Yulanpen), during which the monk Maudgalyāyana (Mục Liên) found his mother amongst the hungry ghosts. The Buddha counsels him to generate group merit when the food presented to her burns to ashes, giving it away to the temples, and benefiting all the souls.

At its heart, Vu Lan celebrates filial piety and compassion. It honors parents both living and deceased through acts of merit-making, transforming grief into generosity and personal sorrow into communal giving.

The Daoist influence further complicates this: the seventh lunar month is the time when there are openings that make ghosts go back to the human world. Thus, Vietnamese families burn vàng mã (joss paper) and cháo loãng (thin porridge), cook and feed the ancestors and lonely spirits who do not have living relatives.

Vietnam Ghost Festival 2026: Timing, Calendar Rules, and Regional Highlights

The Vietnamese Ghost festival is celebrated during the 7th lunar month and reaches its climax during the 15th day (Ram thang Bay) when it is said that the veil between the dead and the living is the thinnest. This is a holy month, referred to as Vu Lan / Ram thang Bay / Tet Trung Nguyen, which spans through the entire month and is a festival in the calendar of Vietnam, which is most spiritually important.

• Lunar Timing: The festival runs through the entire 7th lunar month, reaching its emotional and ritual climax on the full moon (15th day).
• Gregorian Month: It usually falls between August and September, though exact dates vary yearly, so visitors should check a Vietnamese lunar calendar or confirm with a local pagoda.
• Key Observances:
  
  • Day 1: Cleaning homes and altars, inviting ancestors back.
  • Day 15: The main day of Vu Lan rituals, with family offerings, temple visits, and public merit-making.
  • Final Day: Concluding prayers and vàng mã (joss paper) burnings to bid farewell to the spirits.

Regional Highlights of Vu Lan Festival Vietnam

• Hanoi (North): The Old Quarter street is full of smoke and prayer in the altars and pagodas.
• Hue and Hoi An (Central): Pagodas are full of pickading, and rivers are ablaze with lantern festivals at night.
• Saigon (Cho Lon, South): Chinese-Vietnamese temples of the city stand out as places of the most spectacular and colourful Ghost Month celebrations.

The Vu Lan Festival in Vietnam coincides with the end of the Buddhist Vassa (rainy retreat), symbolizing liberation, renewal, and compassion. In Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang), August brings drier weather ideal for outdoor ceremonies, while Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City may experience light rains, something to keep in mind for river lantern festivals or temple photography.

Rituals and Offerings During the Vietnam Ghost Festival

Preparing the Altar for Vu Lan Festival Vietnam

Purity beckons peace, families dust their houses and wash the altar in preparation of offerings. The ancestors’ photos are mounted above the eye level, flowers and candles are displayed in a well-organized manner, and incense is burnt to be the first thing to welcome the spirits.

Offerings and Their Meanings

• Food: Favourite dishes of the deceased; vegetarian offerings at temples.
• Cháo loãng: Thin porridge offered to wandering souls unable to swallow solid food.
• Vàng mã (joss paper): Symbolic paper items (money, phones, houses) burned to send comfort to the afterlife.
• Incense & Flowers: Fragrant bridges between the living and the dead.

Ceremony Sequence

1. Light incense and candles.
2. Speak names of ancestors or whisper silent prayers.
3. Bow three times.
4. Burn vàng mã outdoors for unnamed spirits.
5. Visit pagodas where monks chant the Ullambana Sutra.
6. Release đèn hoa đăng (lanterns) on rivers at dusk, guiding souls home.
7. Share or donate food, acts of compassion central to Vietnamese merit-making traditions.

Modern changes include eco-friendly restrictions on open burning and organised temple-led offerings to protect air quality while preserving culture.

Vu Lan Festival Vietnam Etiquette and Customs for Visitors

If you’re attending Rằm tháng Bảy in Vietnam, follow a few simple courtesies:

• Dress modestly, cover shoulders and knees.
• Do not step over offerings; what looks like trash is sacred.
• Ask before taking photos: “Xin chụp ảnh được không?” (“May I take a photo?”).
• Keep your phone silent and voice low.
• When unsure, observe and mirror respectful locals.

Checkout: Culture Of Vietnam

Safety and Taboos During Vietnam Ghost Festival

Be careful not to go swimming at night or to hold a wedding during Vietnam Ghost Month, old fashioned taboos still have some power. Such cities as Hanoi and Saigon now have designated safe spots to burn vang ma; do it responsibly. Groups of people may be thick in places of pagoda and river, be attentive and deferential.

Travel Tips for Vu Lan Festival in Vietnam

Hotels in the areas of major temples are booked out early during Vu Lan Festival Vietnam. Make reservations in advance in case you intend to take part in lantern launches or ceremonies. Delay in transport is an ordinary thing; it is part of the process.

The Language of Vu Lan: Key Vietnamese Terms

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Usage
Vu Lan	Ghost Festival based on Ullambana	Voo-lahn	Refers to the festival itself
Rằm tháng Bảy	Full moon of the 7th month	Ram thang bay	Main ritual day
Tết Trung Nguyên	Middle-origin festival	Tet Trung Nguyen	Another name for Ghost Month
Cúng	Offering ritual	Cung	Food offering to ancestors
Vàng mã	Paper money/offerings	Vang mah	Burned gifts for the dead
Cháo loãng	Thin porridge	Chow loang	For restless spirits
Đèn hoa đăng	Flower lanterns	Den hoa dang	Floating river lights for lost souls

Conclusion: The Meaning Behind Vietnam’s Vu Lan Festival

The Ghost Festival in Vietnam is more than a ritual, it’s a heartfelt celebration connecting generations through love and remembrance. Lighting incense or watching lanterns float along Hoi An’s rivers reflects the festival’s message of compassion between the living and the departed. For an authentic cultural experience, plan your trip during Ram Thang Bay. Explore Vietnam’s spiritual side with Vietnam holiday packages by Pickyourtrail, offering customised itineraries from Hanoi’s pagodas to Hoi An’s river lanterns and Saigon’s vibrant processions.

FAQs: Vietnam Ghost Festival (Vu Lan) 2026

When is the Ghost Festival celebrated in Vietnam?

It is observed in the 7th lunar month where it peaks on the 15th day (Ram thang Bay), which usually falls in August or September on the Gregorian calendar.

Is Vu Lan the same as the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival?

 They have Buddhist roots, although the Vietnamese Vu Lan Festival is the only one to incorporate Buddhist, Daoist, and Vietnamese ancestral activities, being more concerned with filial piety and community activities.

Can foreigners participate in the Ghost Festival in Vietnam?

Yes. It is only by visiting that one may observe or participate respectfully. Wear humble clothes, do not interrupt prayers, and think over little contributions such as fruit, or incense.

Where are the best places to experience Vu Lan in Vietnam?

Great festivals are held in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, in the pagodas and on the riverbanks of Hue and Hoi An, and in the temples of Cho Lon in Saigon, where hundreds of thousands of people gather to offer up offerings and make offerings in the streets.

What should I offer during the Vu Lan Festival?

The common products are vang ma (joss paper), chao loang, fruit, flowers, and vegetarian food. It is also important to always check local burning laws before lighting joss paper.