Most of the festivals, anniversaries and traditional cultural events of Vietnam are in accordance with its lunar calendar; however, nowadays, Christian calendar is widely used throughout the country. Annually, on the first day in this Western Calendar - January 1st, joining in the modern breathes of the world, Vietnam also celebrates the International New Year Day.
The holiday serves the purpose of saying good bye to a year which has passed and also welcoming a new one.
Starting from the period of French colonization when Western calendar began to be used, International New Year Day has been celebrated. At its very beginning, on that day, offices were off from work, and services were closed. Through the changes of time, the festival has been widely accepted among Viet citizens and become a public holiday in which every citizen have a day off - only services for tourists are maintained.
The International New Year Day brings people a good opportunity to go out, meet others and participate on exciting trips as well. Also on the holiday, related special programs would be broadcasted on local as well as national channels, and countdown parties would be taken place at places like Opera House or major avenues.