The very start of Ghost Month. The 7th lunar month began on August 13, 2026, when the “Gates of Hell” are believed to open, so shopkeepers all over the city are making their opening offerings. In Vietnam it’s called Tháng Cô Hồn, the month of wandering souls, rooted in Buddhist and folk traditions about honoring ancestors and maintaining harmony between the living and the spirit world.
The sidewalk fires are joss paper, or votive paper: symbolic money, clothes, and goods burned so spirits can use them in the afterlife. Businesses are especially diligent about this because the month is associated with bad luck, and appeasing hungry ghosts who have no descendants to care for them is seen as both a humanitarian act to assist suffering spirits and a way to avoid harassment from restless ones, or even win their support. Trays of food, incense, rice, and salt often go out on the pavement in front of the shop in the afternoon.
The big day comes at the full moon: the Hungry Ghost Festival falls on 27 August 2026, the 15th day of the month, which in Vietnam is also Vu Lan, a beautiful filial piety holiday honoring mothers and ancestors.
August 2026