---
title: "Most Vietnamese Americans Celebrate the Lunar New Year"
description: "The Lunar New Year is celebrated by more than nine-in-ten Vietnamese Americans. Overall, 68% of those in the largest Asian American groups say they celebrate the holiday. "
date: "2013-02-08"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/02/08/most-vietnamese-americans-celebrate-the-lunar-new-year/"
---

# Most Vietnamese Americans Celebrate the Lunar New Year

[![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2013/02/PRC_13.02.10_DN_LunarNewYear.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/Asian-Americans-A-Mosaic-of-Faiths-religious-practices.aspx)

Many Asian countries – including China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam – use a lunar calendar in addition to the solar calendar commonly used in the United States. People in those countries – as well as here in the United States – will start celebrating the Lunar New Year this weekend.

Overall, about two-thirds of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese Americans (68%) celebrate the Lunar New Year, or what is often referred to as the Chinese New Year. Commemoration of the Lunar New Year is highest among Vietnamese Americans (93%) and Chinese Americans (82%) – who are about as likely to celebrate the Lunar New Year as to celebrate Thanksgiving. Fewer Korean Americans (45%) and Japanese Americans (30%) say they celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Among religious groups from these four countries of origin, roughly eight-in-ten Buddhists (81%) and Catholics (77%) say they celebrate the Lunar New Year. About half of the Protestants in these country-of-origin groups – including 49% of evangelicals – also celebrate the start of the lunar year.

Asian immigrants, especially those who have come to the U.S. since 2000, are more likely than native-born Asians from these countries of origin to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Among Japanese Americans, however, this pattern is reversed; 39% of U.S.-born Japanese Americans say they celebrate the Lunar New Year, compared with 18% of foreign-born Japanese Americans. [Read more](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/Asian-Americans-A-Mosaic-of-Faiths-religious-practices.aspx)