Diwali 2026 in Vietnam: Dates, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat and Hindu Temples

Quick answer: in Vietnam, Diwali's main day, Lakshmi Puja, is on Sunday 8 November 2026. In Hanoi the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:43 PM – 7:42 PM Vietnam time; in Ho Chi Minh City it is 5:55 PM – 7:55 PM. The festival runs from Dhanteras on Friday 6 November to Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November, and the dates are the same in every Vietnamese city.

Editor's note (1 November 2026): HinduTone calculated these local dates using Drik Panchang tithi times and Drik's rules for each festival day, and checked our method against Drik's own published dates for 15 countries. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat follows the Drik method: the period when Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna, a fixed ascendant, is rising within Pradosh Kaal. All times are Vietnam time (UTC+7). We do not list event schedules, because temples and community groups set their own programmes each year.

Diwali 2026 dates in Vietnam

These are the five days of Diwali for Hanoi. They are the same across the country.

Naraka Chaturdashi and Lakshmi Puja share Sunday 8 November. Chaturdashi is still current at sunrise that morning, and Amavasya, the new-moon tithi on which Lakshmi Puja is done, runs in Vietnam from Sun 8 Nov, 12:57 PM to Mon 9 Nov, 2:01 PM. Only the evening of 8 November has Amavasya during Pradosh Kaal, so that is Lakshmi Puja night. Monday 9 November is a gap day, and Pratipada for Govardhan Puja is current at sunrise on Tuesday 10 November. Dwitiya, the tithi of Bhai Dooj, then governs Wednesday 11 November. For reference, Drik Panchang gives Amavasya as 11:27 AM on 8 November to 12:31 PM on 9 November IST, which is the same moment expressed in Indian time.

Diwali 2026 city by city in Vietnam

All cities share the same dates; only the muhurat shifts with local sunset. The south, being further west and closer to the equator, has a slightly later evening.

If your town is not listed, use the nearest city in the table. Across the whole country the muhurat start varies by about 20 minutes, from Haiphong in the north-east to Cần Thơ in the Mekong Delta.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat explained

Lakshmi Puja is done in the evening on Amavasya, during Pradosh Kaal, the period of about two and a half hours that begins at sunset. In Hanoi on Sunday 8 November, sunset is at 5:17 PM and Pradosh Kaal runs 5:17 PM – 7:50 PM. In Ho Chi Minh City sunset is at 5:27 PM and Pradosh runs 5:27 PM – 7:55 PM.

Within Pradosh, the most auspicious window is when Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna is rising. Vrishabha is a fixed (sthira) sign, and tradition holds that Lakshmi worshipped in a fixed lagna stays in the home. In Hanoi, Vrishabha rises at 5:43 PM, during Pradosh, giving the muhurat of 5:43 PM – 7:42 PM.

Every city in our table has Vrishabha rising during Pradosh this year, so you can use the muhurat shown. If you cannot start within it, any time in your city's Pradosh Kaal is still a proper time for the puja. Families who follow a particular temple or priest should go by their guidance; Tamil families, for example, traditionally give more weight to the Naraka Chaturdashi morning bath than to the evening puja.

Hindu temples in Vietnam for Diwali

Vietnam's Indian Hindu community is small, and its temples are concentrated in one place: District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, the old heart of Saigon. They were built by Tamil traders and moneylenders who settled in Saigon from the late nineteenth century, when the city was part of French Indochina. Most of that community left after 1975, and the temples are now looked after by a few remaining families, newer Indian residents and Vietnamese devotees, many of whom come to pray to the goddess for health and good fortune.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Mariamman Temple (District 1, near Bến Thành Market): dedicated to the goddess Mariamman and the best known Hindu temple in the country. It is the natural focus for Deepavali in Saigon.
• Sri Thendayuthapani Temple (District 1): a Murugan temple built by the Tamil community, one of the city's three surviving Indian temples.
• Subramaniam Swamy Temple (District 1): also dedicated to Murugan and known locally as Chùa Ông; set up by Indian merchants in the nineteenth century.

The Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (INCHAM) has organised Diwali nights in past years, mainly as cultural and social evenings.

Hanoi

We could not confirm a functioning Indian Hindu temple in Hanoi from a reliable source, so we do not list one. The Embassy of India in Hanoi and its Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre have held Diwali and Dussehra celebrations in past years, and INCHAM has hosted Diwali nights in the capital. These are mostly cultural evenings with music, dance and food rather than a temple puja. Most Hindu families in Hanoi, Haiphong and Da Nang mark Lakshmi Puja at home or with friends.

Cham Hindu heritage in the south-central coast

Vietnam also has an older Hindu tradition of its own. The Cham Balamon (Hindu Cham) community, centred on the area around Phan Rang, keeps a Shaiva-rooted faith inherited from the kingdom of Champa. Their great temples include Po Klong Garai near Phan Rang, built for Shiva around the turn of the fourteenth century, and Po Nagar in Nha Trang. The Cham do not celebrate Diwali as such; their main festival is Kate, held at these towers. Visitors are welcome to see them, but they are not venues for Lakshmi Puja.

Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages. If you live far from Saigon, a home puja is entirely proper and is what most families in Vietnam do.

How Diwali is celebrated in Vietnam

Diwali in Vietnam is quiet compared with the large public festivals of Singapore or Malaysia. The Indian community is small and includes the descendants of the old Saigon Tamil families, Indian professionals in IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles and trade, students, and families from Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Indian diaspora elsewhere in Asia.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Mariamman Temple is usually decorated with lamps and flowers, and devotees come for archanai and evening prayers. Programmes at such temples typically include special abhishekam, a Lakshmi or Mariamman puja, bhajans and the sharing of prasad. In Hanoi, embassy and business-chamber Diwali evenings have brought together Indian residents and Vietnamese guests with classical and Bollywood dance, rangoli, mehndi and Indian food.

At home, families light diyas and candles, make rangoli at the door, exchange sweets with neighbours and colleagues, and gather for the puja and a festive meal. Indian groceries in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City stock diyas, puja items and sweets in the weeks before; buying early helps, as supplies are limited. Sikh families mark Bandi Chhor Divas and Jain families observe Diwali as the nirvana of Mahavira on the same night, where those communities are present.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

You do not need a priest for a meaningful Lakshmi Puja. A short, general vidhi:

1. Clean the home during the day and set up a small altar facing east or north, with an image of Lakshmi and Ganesha.
2. Make a rangoli or a few flower petals at the entrance, and place a kalash (a pot of water with mango or betel leaves and a coconut) beside the altar if you have one.
3. At the start of your city's muhurat, light a ghee or oil diya and some incense. Begin with a prayer to Ganesha.
4. Offer flowers, kumkum, turmeric, rice, sweets, fruit and a few coins or new notes to Lakshmi. Recite the Lakshmi Ashtottaram, the Shri Suktam or simply her name, as your family tradition allows.
5. Perform aarti together, then light diyas around the home, at windows and at the door.
6. Share prasad with family and neighbours.

If you are short of time, a single lamp, a flower and a sincere prayer within Pradosh Kaal is enough.

Practical tips

• Sunday 8 November is a weekend day, so most people can be at home for the muhurat. Dhanteras (Friday), Govardhan Puja (Tuesday) and Bhai Dooj (Wednesday) fall on working days; Diwali is not a public holiday in Vietnam.
• Weather: early November is the end of the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City, with warm evenings and the chance of a shower. Central Vietnam, including Huế and Da Nang, is often in its heaviest rains and flood season, so keep lamps sheltered. Hanoi is dry and mild.
• Sunset is early: 5:17 PM in Hanoi and 5:27 PM in Ho Chi Minh City on 8 November. Have the altar ready before then.
• Fireworks and firecrackers are tightly controlled in Vietnam, and rules are set by the authorities. Do not assume crackers are allowed; use diyas, candles and electric lights instead, and follow your building's fire rules.
• If you want a priest-led puja or a special archanai at a temple in Saigon, ask well in advance, as the temples have limited staff.

FAQ

When is Diwali 2026 in Vietnam?

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026 throughout Vietnam. Dhanteras is Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi is also on Sunday 8 November, Govardhan Puja is Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj is Wednesday 11 November.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in Hanoi?

In Hanoi the muhurat is 5:43 PM – 7:42 PM on Sunday 8 November, Vietnam time (UTC+7). In Ho Chi Minh City it is 5:55 PM – 7:55 PM and in Da Nang 5:41 PM – 7:42 PM. The city table gives every city we calculated.

Why are Naraka Chaturdashi and Lakshmi Puja on the same day in Vietnam?

Chaturdashi is still running at sunrise on Sunday 8 November, and Amavasya begins at 12:57 PM Vietnam time that afternoon, so it covers the evening. The dawn bath of Naraka Chaturdashi and the evening Lakshmi Puja therefore both fall on Sunday 8 November.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Vietnam?

No. Diwali is not one of Vietnam's national public holidays, so it is a normal working week. In 2026 the main evening falls on a Sunday, which makes it easier for families to observe. Check the official 2026 holiday list if you need certainty for work planning.

Which Hindu temples in Vietnam celebrate Diwali?

The historic Tamil temples in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City: the Mariamman Temple, the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple and the Subramaniam Swamy Temple. In Hanoi we could not confirm an Indian Hindu temple; the Embassy of India and its Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre have hosted Diwali celebrations in past years.

Can I do Lakshmi Puja at home if there is no temple nearby?

Yes. A simple home puja with a clean altar, a diya, flowers, sweets and prayers to Lakshmi and Ganesha, done within your city's muhurat on 8 November, is entirely traditional and is how most Hindus in Vietnam outside Saigon will mark the night.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 dates in every country, with Lakshmi Puja times
• Diwali 2026: complete guide
• Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat in India
• The 5 days of Diwali 2026 explained
• Dhanteras 2026
• Naraka Chaturdashi 2026
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Deepavali 2026 in Singapore
• Diwali 2026 in the Philippines
• Diwali 2026 in Myanmar
• Diwali 2026 in Hong Kong