Tet Production Planning Checklist: Ship Before Vietnam Shuts Down

A Tet production planning checklist is a timeline for placing, producing, and shipping orders around Vietnam's Lunar New Year shutdown. Most factories close for one to two weeks. Capacity drops for several weeks on either side.

Buyers who plan in December are already too late. Workers travel home, lines run short-staffed, and quality slips under rush pressure. VALO Vietnam plans production calendars around Tet for international buyers.

This Tet production planning checklist covers timing, capacity booking, quality risk, and shipping. You will see what to lock in each month. Post-Tet recovery and a full FAQ close the guide.

Key Takeaways

• Tet closes most Vietnamese factories for one to two weeks, with reduced output before and after.
• Planning starts in September, not December, for orders shipping before the holiday.
• Quality risk peaks in the final rush week and the first weeks after reopening.
• Post-Tet labor turnover can slow restart far longer than the official holiday.
• VALO Vietnam locks factory capacity and inspection slots ahead of the shutdown.

What Tet Actually Does to Production

Tet is Vietnam's most important holiday and its largest annual supply disruption. The official closure is short. The operational impact is not.

The Official Holiday Versus Reality

The government mandates several days of public holiday. Most export factories close for roughly one to two weeks. Some rural facilities stay closed longer, depending on their workforce.

The Slowdown on Either Side

Output declines for one to two weeks before the shutdown as workers begin traveling. Recovery after reopening takes a similar period. The practical disruption often spans four to six weeks.

The Date Moves Every Year

Tet follows the lunar calendar, so it shifts between late January and mid-February. Tet 2027 falls in early February. Never build a schedule on an assumed month.

Check the Date Before You Plan

Confirm the exact dates with each factory, not just the public calendar. Closure lengths vary by province and workforce origin. Get it in writing during the quotation stage.

The Tet Production Planning Checklist

Work backwards from the holiday date through these six phases.

1. Four to Five Months Out: Lock Capacity

This is the decision point most buyers miss. Factories allocate pre-Tet capacity to customers who commit early.

Complete these steps first:

• Confirm the factory's exact closure dates in writing
• Reserve production slots with a signed purchase order
• Confirm raw material lead times, not just assembly time
• Identify which components come from subcontractors

Our guide to sourcing lead time covers how to calculate the full window.

2. Three Months Out: Finalize Samples

Sample rounds are the first casualty of a compressed schedule. Approvals must close before the rush begins.

Lock these approvals early:

• Final physical sample signed off in writing
• Color, finish, and material confirmations documented
• Packaging artwork and labeling approved
• Any tooling or mold work completed and tested

Rushing the sample approval process is the most expensive shortcut available.

3. Two Months Out: Confirm Materials and Deposit

Suppliers to your factory also close for Tet. Material availability, not factory capacity, causes many late orders.

Verify these dependencies:

• Fabric, timber, hardware, or component delivery dates
• Whether upstream suppliers close earlier than your factory
• Deposit paid and production formally released
• Written production milestone schedule

4. Six Weeks Out: Monitor Production Closely

Weekly updates are not enough during pre-Tet months. Problems compound quickly when there is no recovery time.

Track these signals:

• Actual output against the milestone schedule
• Whether your order has been reprioritized behind a larger customer
• Overtime levels, which often signal quality risk
• Early warning of any material shortfall

5. Four Weeks Out: Inspect Before the Rush

Quality risk climbs sharply in the final production week. Inspect while there is still time to rework.

Schedule these checks:

• In-line inspection at roughly half completion
• Pre-shipment inspection with room for one rework cycle
• Written defect classification with clear acceptance criteria
• Confirmation that no processes were subcontracted late

Our guide to quality control in Vietnam covers each inspection stage.

Why the Last Week Is the Riskiest

Factories push volume to close orders before the holiday. Workers are distracted and often working extended hours. Defect rates in the final week are consistently higher than the monthly average.

6. Three Weeks Out: Book Freight

Pre-Tet is the tightest ocean freight window of the Vietnamese year. Space fills before most buyers start looking.

Complete these bookings:

• Ocean space confirmed with a named sailing and cutoff
• Backup sailing identified in case of a roll
• Export documents prepared and cross-checked
• Trucking to port booked in advance

Read our guide to shipping delays for the downstream risks.

The Post-Tet Recovery Period

Reopening is not the same as returning to full capacity. Plan for a staged restart.

Workforce Turnover

A meaningful share of workers do not return after Tet. Many take jobs closer to home or switch employers. Factories often restart with new, less experienced staff.

Quality After Reopening

New workers on familiar lines produce higher defect rates. Increase inspection intensity for the first production runs after Tet. Do not assume prior performance carries over.

Do Not Schedule First Production in February

Avoid placing a critical first order immediately after reopening. Give the factory two to three weeks to stabilize. Learn more about Vietnam manufacturing cycles before committing.

Communication Around Tet

Cultural awareness improves outcomes more than pressure does.

Expect Slower Responses

Email and messaging response times stretch in the weeks before Tet. Staff take leave in rotation. Confirm anything critical well in advance.

Bonuses and Worker Priorities

The thirteenth month salary is paid before Tet and matters enormously to workers. Factories prioritize orders that fund it. Reliable payment history strengthens your position.

Relationship Matters More Than Volume

Vietnamese factories often protect long-term partners over larger one-off buyers. Our guide to business etiquette in Vietnam covers this dynamic in more depth.

How VALO Vietnam Plans Around Tet

Managing a Tet timeline is easier when you start with suppliers who plan ahead. VALO Vietnam connects buyers directly to verified Vietnamese manufacturers.

Start With Verified Suppliers

Every supplier on our platform passes verification before listing. You connect directly and arrange capacity with them. That removes the riskiest stage of cold outreach before Tet.

Suppliers Who Plan Ahead

Our verified factories understand the pre-Tet rush and how to schedule around it. You deal with them directly on slots, samples, and timelines. VALO connects you to partners who take planning seriously.

VALO Vietnam's Tet Rule

In our experience, the buyers who ship on time confirmed their orders in September.

The difference between a smooth Tet and a lost quarter is rarely budget. It is the month the purchase order was signed. Early commitment is what buys you priority when capacity gets scarce.

Plan Tet Into Your Calendar Permanently

A Tet production planning checklist turns Vietnam's biggest disruption into a scheduled event. Lock capacity early, close approvals ahead of the rush, and inspect before the final week. Those three moves prevent most failures.

Remember that the disruption spans weeks, not days. Build your calendar around the full window, including post-holiday recovery. Treating Tet as a short closure is the most common planning error.

Confirm exact dates with each supplier every year. The lunar calendar moves, and closure lengths vary by factory. Written confirmation costs nothing and protects everything.

Want your Tet timeline handled locally? VALO Vietnam books factory capacity, monitors production, and connects you to verified suppliers. Contact our team to plan your next Tet cycle.

• Call us 24/7: +84 943 088 842
• Email: [email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Tet production planning checklist?

It is a timeline for placing, producing, inspecting, and shipping orders around Vietnam's Lunar New Year shutdown. It works backwards from the holiday date through capacity booking and freight.

How long do Vietnamese factories close for Tet?

Most export factories close for roughly one to two weeks. Output also drops for one to two weeks before and after, so plan for a four to six week disruption.

When should I place an order to ship before Tet?

Confirm capacity four to five months ahead and release production at least two months out. Waiting until December usually means missing the pre-Tet shipping window.

Does product quality drop around Tet?

Risk rises in the final production week and in the first weeks after reopening. Increase inspection intensity during both periods.

Why do factories lose workers after Tet?

Many workers travel home and take employment closer to family. Turnover means factories often restart with less experienced staff on familiar lines.

When does Tet fall each year?

Tet follows the lunar calendar and shifts between late January and mid-February. Confirm the exact dates with each supplier annually rather than assuming a fixed month.