French School Holidays 2027 in Hội An: What Your Zone Actually Changes

There is a question no Vietnam guide answers, because it needs two calendars nobody lays side by side: when exactly does your zone break, and what is Vietnam doing during those two weeks? The answer is uncomfortably concrete. A family from Paris and a family from Lille book the same "winter holidays", land in the same place — and one arrives on the first day of the lunar new year, when half the family kitchens are shut, while the other arrives a fortnight later in a country at its calmest.

TL;DR — France's 2027 winter holidays spread across nearly a month by zone. Zone C (6–22 February) lands exactly on Tết: mùng 1 is Saturday 6 February 2027. Zone A (13 February – 1 March) contains Nguyên Tiêu on 19 February, the biggest lantern night of the year. Zone B (20 February – 8 March) arrives after the wave, at the start of a seven-week stretch with no Vietnamese public holiday. In spring, Zone B (17 April – 3 May) is the worst combination of the year — it holds both the Hùng Kings holiday and the 30 April block. French passports enter Vietnam visa-free for 45 days.

Your 2027 dates, laid over the Vietnamese calendar

School dates come from the French Ministry of Education's official calendar. Vietnamese dates are converted with mùng 1 tháng Giêng = Saturday 6 February 2027, the same anchor used across all our 2027 guides. The judgement in the right-hand column is ours.

If you take one line from this page: Zone A in February is the best school-holiday window of the year for Hội An, and it is an accident of calendar. 19 February 2027 is Nguyên Tiêu — the first full moon of the lunar year, the night the Old Town switches off its electric lighting and everything happens by lantern. It is the finest evening of the year here, and it falls in the middle of one zone's holidays out of three.

Zone C: you arrive during Tết

This is neither good news nor bad news — it is news that requires different preparation.

Tết is the Vietnamese lunar new year, and the first three days (6, 7 and 8 February) are the most intense family days of the year. What stays open: hotels, tourist-facing restaurants, taxis, the Old Town itself, and the pagodas — which fill from before dawn and are worth the trip on their own.

What closes, roughly 6 to 8 February: a large share of small family kitchens, most tailors, parts of the markets, and every bank. In practice, for a family: decide where you are eating on 6 and 7 February instead of wandering and hoping. That is the difference between a memorable stay and two frustrating evenings. Our Tết in Hội An 2027 guide sets out what reopens and when.

In exchange you get a town in full ceremonial dress: kumquat trees at every doorway, red couplets on the timber houses, and from the third day onward Vietnamese families in matching áo dài photographing each other on the Japanese Bridge.

Zone B in spring: the one combination to genuinely avoid

Zone B's spring holidays run 17 April to 3 May 2027, and they contain Vietnam's two largest domestic travel waves.

Hùng Kings' Day falls on Friday 16 April — a three-day weekend that traditionally opens the beach season. Then 30 April, Reunification Day, launches the biggest domestic travel block of the Vietnamese year, running to Monday 3 May. Domestic flights sell out weeks ahead, prices roughly double, and the coast fills from Huế to Quy Nhơn.

The weather, meanwhile, is excellent: dry, warm, bright. The climate is not the problem — the other travellers are. If your dates are Zone B and non-negotiable, book early and stay away from the busiest strips. Our Vietnam public holidays 2027 guide has the exact blocks.

Entry: 45 days without a visa

French nationals are exempt from a visa for stays not exceeding 45 days, entry and exit days included. The exemption has run since 15 August 2023 and continues until 14 August 2028. The passport must be valid at least six months from the date of entry.

Beyond 45 days an e-visa is required, issued by Vietnam's national immigration portal for stays up to 90 days with multiple entries. For a two-week school holiday the question does not arise.

This is the position as of August 2026. Entry rules are the fastest-rotting information in any travel guide: check your own government's Vietnam page before departure, and distrust any undated page. Including this one.

Getting there: you do not fly to Hội An

Planning a trip around this? See dates at our quiet riverside hotel on the Thu Bồn. Check availability →

Hội An has no airport. You land at Đà Nẵng (DAD), 45 minutes away by road — flat, with negligible traffic.

From Paris, Vietnam Airlines serves Vietnam non-stop; the continuation to Đà Nẵng is generally via a connection in Hanoi. Connections through Singapore, Bangkok, Doha or Istanbul are often cheaper and rarely much longer. Reckon on about twelve hours of flying plus the connection.

Practical note for families: have the transfer booked in advance. Negotiating a taxi at 10pm with luggage and tired children, after twelve hours in the air, is where a good trip starts badly.

Where to stay, and why the riverbank matters

On a two-week stay, choosing between the Old Town and the far bank is mostly a question of evenings. Deep in the old quarter you are inside the thing you came to see — wonderful at 6pm, less so at 11.

Nghê Prana is a riverside hotel on the Cẩm Nam side of the Thu Bồn, facing the Old Town. Every room faces the river or the garden; none faces a road. For a family that mostly means the pool is where you will spend the middle of the day anyway, and the Old Town is ten minutes by bicycle once the heat drops. See our rooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the French school holiday dates for 2027 by zone? Winter holidays: Zone C 6–22 February, Zone A 13 February–1 March, Zone B 20 February–8 March 2027. Spring holidays: Zone C 3–19 April, Zone A 10–26 April, Zone B 17 April–3 May 2027.

Which zone is best for a trip to Hội An? Zone A in February. Its winter holidays (13 February–1 March 2027) contain Nguyên Tiêu on 19 February, the biggest lantern night of the year, and run into a seven-week window with no Vietnamese public holiday. Zone B in February is a good second choice.

Is travelling during Tết with children a good idea? Yes, if you plan. Hotels, tourist-facing restaurants, taxis and pagodas operate normally; many small family kitchens and most tailors close for about three days. Book your dinners for 6 and 7 February 2027 in advance rather than looking on the night.

Do French citizens need a visa for Vietnam? No, not for stays of 45 days or fewer: the exemption has run since 15 August 2023 and continues to 14 August 2028, entry and exit days included. The passport must be valid for six months beyond the entry date. Beyond 45 days, an e-visa is required.

How do you get from Paris to Hội An? You fly to Đà Nẵng (DAD), 45 minutes by road from Hội An. Vietnam Airlines links Paris to Vietnam non-stop, with a connection in Hanoi for Đà Nẵng; routings via Singapore, Bangkok, Doha or Istanbul are often cheaper. Reckon on around twelve hours of flying plus the connection.

What is the worst time to visit Hội An in 2027? Two periods. October and the first half of November, flood season, when part of the Old Town is under water most years. And the 30 April to 3 May block, Vietnam's biggest domestic travel weekend — which is what makes Zone B's spring holidays particularly badly placed.

School dates follow the French Ministry of Education's official 2026-2027 calendar, as of August 2026. Vietnamese dates are converted with mùng 1 tháng Giêng anchored to Saturday 6 February 2027 — the same anchor as our Tết, Kim Bồng, Trà Quế and 2027 lantern-calendar guides — placing Nguyên Tiêu on 19 February and Hùng Kings' Day on Friday 16 April. The 30 April–3 May block comes from a draft holiday schedule put to consultation in August 2026 and not yet final. Entry conditions reflect August 2026 — 45-day exemption since 15 August 2023, valid to 14 August 2028 — and should be checked before departure. Field observations from Hội An, Cẩm Nam riverside, across the water from the Old Town.