Ho Chi Minh City Events - January 2027

4 dated events in Ho Chi Minh City in January 2027, with the dates, the venues, what each one costs and the sources behind every line.

What is on in Ho Chi Minh City in January 2027

January 2027 splits in two. The first three weeks are ordinary city life with two events worth planning around — a marathon that starts at three in the morning and a cải lương anniversary show. From about the 23rd the Tết run-up takes over: the flower markets start forming, the trade-union market opens, and the city begins to empty out ahead of the holiday week in February.

Eximbank HCMC Marathon 2027

Sunday 17 January 2027 — 42 km 03:00, 21 km 03:30, 10 km 04:15
Start and finish: 30/4 Park, Lê Duẩn Street, Sài Gòn ward, District 1

The only race that starts and finishes in front of Independence Palace, and it starts at three in the morning.

42 km starts at 03:00 with a six-hour cut-off (09:00); 10 km at 04:15 with a two-hour cut-off (06:15). The 21 km block would not render on the organiser's own race-info pages, so 03:30 and a 3 h 30 cut-off are secondary — confirmed only by an aggregator.

Bib collection is at Hòa Lưu Sports Center, 2 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Sài Gòn ward: 09:00–19:00 Friday 15 January and 09:00–18:00 Saturday 16 January.

A 3 a.m. start means the roads around the park close overnight. Even as a spectator, this is the morning to be on foot.

Sources: hcmcmarathon.com race info (race day, 3:00 AM, 30/4 Park) · hcmcmarathon.com/42km (start 03:00, 6 h cut-off) · hcmcmarathon.com/10km (start 04:15, 2 h, bib pick-up) · asiaruncalendar.com (21 km times only — secondary)

Saigon River pedestrian bridge — scheduled opening

Scheduled to open Saturday 30 January 2027 — the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month (23 Tết)
Bến Bạch Đằng (District 1 riverfront) to Thủ Thiêm

The first pedestrian bridge across the Saigon River: 720 m, a nipa-palm-leaf steel arch, and a walk that finally connects the old centre to Thủ Thiêm on foot.

720 m long and 6 to 11 m wide, with a 187 m main span shaped like a nipa palm leaf, roughly 1,000 billion VND, funded by Nutifood. The lighting is programmed in separate scenarios for weekdays, weekends, holidays and special events.

The 30 January date is the Department of Construction's own “scheduled to open”; the sponsor says only “in time for Tết 2027”. 23 Tết falls on 30 January because the Government's own holiday notice puts 28 tháng Chạp on Thursday 4 February 2027.

Sources: Tuổi Trẻ (Dept of Construction: scheduled to open 30 January 2027) · VnExpress (sponsor: expected in use for Tết 2027) · Cafef (Government 2027 Tết dates, for the 23 Tết arithmetic)

NSƯT Kim Tiểu Long — 35-year liveshow “Dòng Chảy Thanh Âm”

Sunday 10 January 2027, evening (no clock time published)
Nhà hát Hòa Bình (Hoa Binh Theatre), Ho Chi Minh City

A 35-year anniversary show by one of cải lương's best-known voices, with veteran Kim Tử Long directing the traditional-opera segment.

The one night in the window where you can see Vietnamese traditional opera properly mounted, in a theatre rather than a hotel ballroom. Directed by Mai Long and Trần Trung.

No start time is published — the organisers say “buổi tối” (evening) and nothing more precise.

Sources: Lao Động, 10 Oct 2026 (via baomoi) · vietnam.vn (same date and venue; cải lương segment) · vietnam.vn (same date)

Chợ Tết Công đoàn – Xuân 2027 (trade-union Tết market)

Saturday 23 – Monday 25 January 2027 (planned)
Cung Văn hóa Lao động Thành phố (city Labour Culture Palace), District 1

The scaled, dated Tết market of the season: around 10,000 visitors expected, essential goods at discounted prices and zero-VND stalls.

The same week the city's flower markets start forming, this is the one Tết market with a published window. Expect a queue and a crowd rather than a browse.

It sits inside the wider “Tết Sum vầy – Xuân ơn Đảng” programme, which runs 22 January – 3 February 2027 at nine points across the city — that programme is not one venue, so do not treat it as a place to go.

Sources: TTXVN via baomoi (23–25/1, Cung Văn hóa Lao động; 22/1–3/2 at 9 points) · Công Lý via baomoi (~10,000 people, 10,000 × 1m VND support) · Lao Động (22.1–3.2.2027 window and programme list)

Before you go

If you are here for the marathon, book near District 1 and expect closed roads from the small hours. If you are here in the last week of January, book transport out of the city early: Tết travel demand starts a fortnight before the holiday. The pedestrian bridge opening is a construction schedule, not a festival — it can slip, and this page will not re-date it if it does.

More Ho Chi Minh City events

All 2027 Ho Chi Minh City events · December 2026 · February 2027

Download the January 2027 iCal feed (.ics) to put these on your phone.

What has not been announced

The exact opening protocol for the pedestrian bridge, and the Tết flower-street and fireworks programmes, are all unpublished as of 8 November 2026. The January dates above are the ones with sources behind them.