5+ Ways to Say Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese

“Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!” – A simple yet beautiful way to say Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese. Tet, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is the most important and celebrated holiday in Vietnamese culture. Occurring in late January or early February based on the lunar calendar, Tet is filled with rich traditions, food, and meaningful celebrations to ring in the new year. For Vietnamese families, it is all about reuniting with loved ones, honoring ancestors and hoping for a prosperous year ahead.

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, families dress in vibrant new clothes and gather to make offerings at ancestral altars. The first few days of Tet are reserved for visiting temples, exchanging Tet greetings and enjoying time with loved ones. 

Read on to learn about Vietnamese New Year traditions in saying Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese, which showcases your best wishes for the lunar new year. You’ll also discover the essential Vietnamese vocabulary for celebrating Tet and how to pronounce New Year wishes correctly. Chúc may mắn! (Good luck!) 

Common Ways to Say Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese

As the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, known as Tết Nguyên Đán, approaches, you’ll want to learn the perfect phrases for wishing your Vietnamese friends and colleagues a wonderful holiday celebration.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

The most popular and festive greeting for the occasion is “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!” – which means “Happy New Year!” in Vietnamese. This phrase is equivalent to saying “Happy New Year!” in English and is the standard way to wish someone well at the arrival of the Lunar New Year.

Chúc mừng năm mới tốt lành!

Besides that ways, these phrases is also often used for saying Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese.  Chúc mừng năm mới tốt lành! – “Wishing you a prosperous new year”

This greeting expresses the hope that the coming year will be full of good things for the person.

Cung Chúc Tân Xuân! – “Happy new spring season!”

Xuân means “spring” and cung chúc means “respectful greetings” so this is a very formal and polite New Year wish.

Chúc một năm mới thắng lợi! – “Wishing you a successful new year!”

This wish focuses on hopes for success in the coming year. Thắng lợi means “victory” or “success”.

Chúc mừng năm mới với sức khỏe dồi dào! – “Wishing you abundant health in the new year!” Health is very important in Vietnamese culture, so this is a common greeting wishing the person robust health.

When someone says any of these New Year wishes to you, the proper response is simply “Cảm ơn” (Thank you), or you can wish it back to them: “Chúc mừng năm mới!” and a wish (if possible).

Additional New Year Vietnamese Vocabulary

Here are some other keywords and phrases related to “Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese” and Lunar New Year celebrations to know:

Tết – Refers to Lunar New Year celebrations overall.

Giao thừa – New Year’s Eve, the transition from the old to the new year.

Bánh chưng – Glutinous rice cakes stuffed with pork and beans, a Tết speciality.

Lì xì – Red envelopes containing money gifts given at Tết.

Mừng tuổi – Elders said “Happy New Year” or “Congratulations”  and gave to kids red envelopes called Li Xi.

Pháo hoa – Fireworks, an essential part of Tết celebrations.

These important words give insight into unique Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions. Knowing them makes it possible to ask your Vietnamese friends more about how they celebrate this joyous occasion.

You May Also Like:

• 7+ Lunar New Year Food Traditions Around Asia

How to Wish Someone in Vietnamese?

When the time comes to wish your Vietnamese acquaintances “Happy New Year”, begin the conversation with “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!” Then, ask how their Tet celebrations went, what special foods they prepared, and if they visited relatives.

Next, express more specific good wishes for them in the new year:

• Sức khỏe – Wishing for good health
• Hạnh phúc – Wishing for happiness
• Thành công – Wishing for success
• Tài lộc – Wishing for prosperity/wealth

You can combine these in your sentences:

• Chúc bạn năm mới dồi dào sức khỏe! – Wishing you abundant health in the new year!
• Chúc gia đình bạn một năm mới hạnh phúc trọn vẹn! – Wishing your family a happy and fulfilling new year!
• Chúc cho công việc bạn thành công và phát triển! – Wishing that your work is successful and prospering!

Compared to English, New Year wishes in Vietnamese tend to sound more elaborate and specific. Don’t be afraid to express detailed goodwill for their future in the coming year.

Here are some other essential Vietnamese New Year phrases:

• Chúc Tết Tốt Đẹp (wishing a beautiful holiday)
• Cung Chúc Tân Xuân (greetings for the new spring) 
• Sức Khỏe Dồi Dào (wishing abundant health)
• Vạn Sự Như Ý (may all your wishes come true)
• Sống Lâu Trăm Tuổi (Wish you live 100 years)

It’s also common to wish prosperity upon someone’s family, business or studies by saying:

• Chúc Mừng Năm Mới Tấn Tài Tấn Lộc (wishing you talent and prosperity)
• Vạn Sự Thành Công (wishing you success in all things)
• Thịnh Vượng Phát Đạt (wishing you prosperity and wealth)

The keys to proper pronunciation are getting the tones accurate and enunciating each syllable clearly. Listen to native speakers or language tapes to get the intonation just right. With the right inflexion, you’ll impress Vietnamese friends with your language skills!

Final Thoughts

To wrap up, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year or “Tết Nguyên Đán” is packed with meaningful traditions and customs. By learning these wishes and greetings, you can surprise and impress your Vietnamese friends and colleagues as Tet approaches. Show them that you sincerely care about their biggest holiday of the year.

With this Vietnamese vocabulary for “Happy New Year” in hand, you can impress your Vietnamese friends this Tết season. Chúc may mắn và Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! (Good luck and Happy New Year!)

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