Hanoi in Spring is the most active time of the year, full of traditional holidays, pretty decorations all around the streets; and last but not least, pleasant weather for traveling. Hence, traveling to Hanoi in spring will leave unforgettable memories on your exploration journey. Let’s check them out!
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Do you know that Hanoi has various kinds of weather, so specially? They are spring, summer, autumn, and winter! Each kind gives people a different impression of a pretty city, but maybe the weather in spring can make you fall in love with Hanoi more. The capital of Vietnam becomes colorful with hundreds of types of flowers blooming in spring.
The spring starts with light rain, and it will be rainy quite often during January and February. Drizzle is the most obvious characteristic of spring in Hanoi in particular and the North in general. Therefore, coming to Hanoi in spring, don’t forget to prepare a raincoat, umbrella, and waterproof boots while visiting outside places.
One of the most important events in Hanoi in spring is the Tet holiday. So the blog will suggest to you most of the places to enjoy this special time.
Hoan Kiem Lake is a symbol of Hanoi, definitely. Visit Hoan Kiem Lake, you should choose the time for pedestrian street to go sightseeing without worrying about the traffic. The pedestrian street opens from 18:00 on Friday to 24:00 on Sunday of the week.
Moreover, you should not miss the group of ancient relics such as Turtle tower, Ngoc Son temple, Pen tower, Nghien radio, and Hoa Phong tower. You will understand the history of the name Hoan Kiem and enjoy the beautiful place. Along the lake of Hanoi in spring, there are cherry blossom trees, pots of orchids, and poinsettias blooming brilliantly. Hence, the space of Hoan Kiem is like a charming watercolor painting and calms your heart with a peaceful atmosphere.
However, don’t forget that Hoan Kiem Lake is also an entertaining spot in Hanoi. You can join lots of community activities such as dancing, jumping rope, shaping the To He, and watching live performances of street performers! Everything is vibrant in the color red, which is the signature color of the Tet holiday in Vietnam.
Temple of Literature Quoc Tu Giam is the first university in Vietnam and is a cultural symbol of Hanoi spring. Every New Year to spring, from students to adults, they come here eagerly to ask for letters and pray for a peaceful new year. In particular, in a land of thousands of years of civilization, respecting traditions, rituals, and learning like Hanoi, the custom of asking for the first letter of the year at the Temple of Literature becomes even more sacred and meaningful.
Besides, the scenery of the Temple of Literature is also a place worth enjoying. Surrounding the campus are green trees and lakes, bringing a peaceful look to the Temple of Literature. Inside the Great Hall of Ceremonies is a statue of Chu Van An, a statue of Confucius, for people to come and pray. Additionally, the Khue Van Cac (Khue Van Pavilion) is the symbol of the Temple of Literature, the Garden of the Stelae (Garden of the Stelae) where ancient scholars used to rub the turtle’s head on the stele to achieve the wishes of the exam. Let’s slowly learn each area of the Temple of Literature.
In addition, the entrance fee is 30.000 per pax. You should also hire an audio guide for the best experience.
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Tran Quoc Pagoda is the next destination that you should not miss when planning to travel to Hanoi in spring. Because at the beginning of the year, this is a place that is visited by many tourists. The pagoda is a rather unique architectural complex with a harmonious combination of roofs and bell towers in a relatively spacious campus. Moreover, this is the place to store a lot of documents and books of Buddhism and is one of the largest centers of Buddhism research, teaching, and propagation in the country.
Whether you are a Buddhist or not, a trip to Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi will give you an interesting perspective on the culture, history, and culture of Vietnam. In addition to learning about historical and architectural values, this is a sacred Buddhist place to pray for peace and health for yourself and your family on the occasion of the new year.
In particular, the view of Tran Quoc Pagoda is worth enjoying. In 2016, the Daily Mail newspaper voted Tran Quoc Pagoda as one of the 16 most beautiful temples in the world. After that, in 2017, the website Wanderlust ranked Tran Quoc Pagoda in third place among 10 beautiful temples. Then, in 2019, Tran Quoc Pagoda was once again on the list of Buddhist temples with the most beautiful architecture in the world and should be visited, as voted by National Geographic magazine.
If the South has the famous Sa Dec garden, Hanoi has the Nhat Tan garden with all kinds of cherry blossoms. Located in the Tay Ho district, this garden is a gathering place for Bich peach blossom, That Thon peach blossom, and Phai peach blossom. Moreover, do you know that peach blossom is the signature flower in North Vietnam, especially Hanoi? Nhat Tan peach is famous far and near not only because of the tradition of growing peaches from the past but also because of the quality of each peach tree. From creating poses to taking care of flowers to bloom beautifully, every day is meticulously calculated by the gardeners here.
Frequently, the local people choose Nhat Tan garden as the market to buy peach blossoms to decorate their houses for the Tet holiday. However, as a tourist, you can just come here to take picturesque photos and save memories with your beloved people. As you can see, Nhat Tan garden is a good place for a family trip. The entrance price is around 30.000 Vietnam thousands dong or free.
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Walking around Hanoi in spring, you will not be able to ignore the rows of white, fragile, and pure Sua blooming. With Sua flowers, Hanoi suddenly becomes brighter and more romantic on every street corner. This flower is not as brilliant as the phoenix, not as purple as the Giant Crape-myrtle (Bang Lang blossom), nor as fragrant as the milk flower… The pristine white color of the Sua flower gives people a feeling of freshness and purity.
In the early days of March, Sua flowers bloomed on some streets in Hanoi such as Phan Chu Trinh, Tran Hung Dao, Thanh Nien, Phan Dinh Phung, and Hoang Dieu streets.
Spring is the time for many specialties in Hanoi, especially the traditional food in the Tet meal. Have you ever tried Lam cake, Hong Lam umami, or Pho?
Although nowadays, lam cake is quite popular and can be bought at any time of the year, Vietnamese people still use it most often during Tet. The cake is light brown in color, with a layer of flour lightly coated on the outside to create a supple and attractive appearance for the cake.
Bite a piece of cake, you will immediately feel the soft, fragrant taste, mixed with the spicy taste of ginger. Lam cake is especially suitable to sip with a cup of hot tea on chilly days. On the first days of the year, Vietnamese people often serve the guests a pot of hot tea, a plate of Lam cake, and sweet candies. Tourists can try this cake in Hanoi in spring to better understand Vietnamese Tet traditions.
Thinking about the quintessence of Hanoi gifts, no one can not mention umami (O Mai) with a sour, salty, spicy, sweet, sour taste. For a long time, O Mai has become a snack containing the perfection of Hanoians. This kind of food is usually made from peaches, lemons, apricots, and plums, stir-fried with sugar and ginger.
On the occasion of Hanoi in spring, visitors can easily find and buy a small and beautiful traditional box of umami as a gift for their family. Hong Lam O Mai is one of the oldest and most prestigious umami brands in Hanoi. Their umami is various and delicious, the package is neat and delicate, therefore you should try this product.
As the symbol of Hanoi, as you’ve known, Pho is still on the top list of what you should eat while visiting Hanoi in spring. A hot bowl of Pho can satisfy your tummy during the cool weather of spring. The soft meat and delicious Pho’s broth can steal your heart at the first spoon! Don’t forget to try it in the morning as a breakfast, you will be addicted to the food.
Hanoi in Spring can be both joyful and peaceful, which is suitable for playing and relaxing. What a perfect vacation, right? Moreover, visiting Hanoi at this time, you won’t regret it because you can learn a lot about Vietnamese culture and tradition.
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