I'm sure I'll get failed or mehed for plugging, but call Nam at i-Travel asap.
And yeah, you should have already booked.

Tet is a mixed bag. The two weeks before are horrid. The streets are packed, fuses are short, and it's not rare to see fights break out. There are tons of people out stocking up for the festivities and thousands of people flooding into town to sell items they've been growing/preparing for the annual shopping sprees.

On the other hand, the day before Tet, plus the next four days or so, are, in my humble opinion, the single best time to be in Hanoi. The city is absolutely tranquil. The streets are empty, 90% of the shops are closed, and you can stroll around pretending to know what Hanoi was like in the stories you hear from old-school Hanoians. If the weather is decent at all (no guarantees there), I spend much of the time just walking around and soaking up the charm of it all.

If given the option, I'd leave for the two weeks prior, then come back just before it all gets started.

Sculptor Dan, Tet is slightly like Christmas for Westerners. It's time for family. People just meet close friends or relatives on the first day of lunar new year. It gives back a peaceful quiet for Hanoi after the crowded 30th eve.
So if you love noisy fun, you should book your tickets right now before too late.

alpha, you've found out one of Tet's specialities. You talk like a truly Vietnamese old man! That's special! Not many people find it charming when the streets are empty, even Vietnamese.

Even if you haven't already booked, you're likely to still find decent prices. We booked like two weeks before last week and still paid next to nothing for flights into BKK.

Also, you can look at traveling within Vietnam during that time -- it's nowhere near as impossible as everyone makes it sound. Most of the tour companies still run their services during that time, and it seems to affect the south less than the north (e.g.: in Nha Trang you won't notice the emptiness as much as in Hanoi).

We spent one Tet holiday in Saigon and Can Tho, and, apart from less traffic, didn't notice any major differences.

Thank you all for your replies, and please keep the advice coming - just because I'm lazy and feckless doesn't mean my parents and should suffer (they're travelling over to see me).

I agree with alpha. Tet holidays is a chance to see another Hanoi. It's when many people and students come back their hometown. Hanoi with peace, clean and quiet.. Like Hanoi in the old days..

I'd like to join the Alpha bandwagon also. Spent Tet in Hanoi last year. A lot of restaurants end up with a holiday menu as there are less staff and produce, but being able to cruise the streets without cursing under your breath (or perhaps loudly) was amazing. It's a pretty cheap option too, it's like a reverse holiday, where everything around you goes somewhere else.

I going to go against the flow on this one. I have spent a few TET's here and find it really boring. If you don't have family to visit, it gets really boring quickly. Now having said that, it is almost impossible to imagine the change that happens in the city...no wait...it is impossible to understand unless you are here for yourself...the peace and quite is spooky during the week, and the spectacular traffic and carnage on the road on the last day of TET makes the even the worse traffic in Hanoi look like a drive in heaven. Time is a magical time for the Vietnamese and it is nice to see people so excited, but it just doesn't have the same impact for me, as I am sure Christmas and New Year's would be quite boring for Vietnamese if they didn't have close family or friends.

If you can manage it stay for the first day or 2 and enjoy the tranquility of a quite Hanoi (no really it will be quite) and then travel somewhere outside of Vietnam once the boredom sets in. And if possible try to return after the last day of TET so you can avoid the mad rush of people returning on the last day....just my 2 cent's

Oh ya and you should learn how to say "Chuc mung man moi"...you will hear it alot starting next week.