Top 10 Traditional Villages in Hanoi that Best Represent the Spirit and Flavor of Tet

Located about 20 kilometers west of Hanoi's center, Tây Tựu Flower Village has long been known as the primary supplier of flowers for the capital and nearby areas. As Tet approaches, the entire village bursts into vibrant colors, with a variety of flowers that create a dazzling atmosphere for the celebration.

For many years, Tây Tựu has been a key supplier of fresh flowers for Hanoi and its surrounding provinces. Each year, Tet marks a peak season for the village’s families, where their flowers bloom in full glory.

With only a month left until the new year, families here are busy tending to their flowers to ensure the best blooms for the market. The flowers most in demand during Tet include lilies, chrysanthemums, roses, dahlias, and gladioluses. While flowers are grown year-round, some are specially planted in September for the Tet season, with farmers giving extra care to ensure they are at their best.

Location: Tây Tựu, Bắc Từ Liêm, Hanoi

Confectioneries and jams are essential treats for the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. In Hanoi, Xuân Đỉnh Village, located in Bắc Từ Liêm District, has been well-known for generations for producing jams for the Tet season. Every year, the village provides over 600 tons of candy and jam for the market. What's unique about this village is that they only make jams in January, just before the Lunar New Year. During this time, you can smell the delightful aroma of freshly made jams from the village gates. Xuân Đỉnh jams always bring the familiar flavors of Tet into every household.

The village's main products are traditional jams such as pumpkin jam, coconut jam, and ginger jam. However, to cater to diverse consumer tastes, they also produce fruit jams like kumquat, tomato, pear, and durian.

At Xuân Đỉnh Jam Village, the production process is largely manual, which helps preserve the natural flavors of the ingredients. Depending on each family’s traditional recipe, the jams have different tastes, but Xuân Đỉnh jams are distinct from many industrial jams on the market. Despite their simple packaging, each product offers the authentic taste of tradition, and once you’ve tried them, it’s hard to buy jam elsewhere.

Location: Xuân Đỉnh, Tây Hồ, Hanoi

One of the must-visit villages when coming to Hanoi is Vạn Phúc Silk Village, located in Vạn Phúc Ward, Hà Đông District, about 10 km from the city center. This village has been famous for its exquisite silk weaving for over a thousand years. Recently, visitors to Vạn Phúc Silk Village are often amazed by the unprecedented sight here. The main road, known as Silk Street, is adorned with over 1,000 colorful umbrellas, creating a vibrant atmosphere as a way for the locals to introduce the image of their silk craft to tourists.

As you enter the village, you’ll see rows of shops on both sides offering a variety of silk products such as dresses, handbags, and silk fabrics in different types like satin, chiffon, and brocade, all in beautiful colors and patterns. Visitors can also tour the weaving workshops and learn about the meticulous process of creating smooth, soft silk fabrics, from spinning silk threads to dyeing and weaving. Every step in this process follows strict regulations to ensure the best quality. Besides shopping for stunning silk items, visitors can also explore the local temple and communal house, which worships the village's craftsmen and the patron saint of the village.

During Tet, visitors to Vạn Phúc Silk Village will have no trouble finding a beautiful new Ao Dai or vibrant silk scarves to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Location: Vạn Phúc, Hà Đông, Hanoi

In the traditional five-fruit tray during Tet, pomelo is placed at the center, on top of a bunch of green bananas, symbolizing prosperity, good fortune, and a sweet, full life, just like the round and perfect pomelo. The most popular and sought-after variety is Diễn pomelo, which is grown in Phú Diễn (Hanoi). Compared to pomelos grown in other regions, Phú Diễn pomelos have a bright yellow color, smooth skin, a fragrant aroma that fills the air, juicy flesh, and crunchy, sweet-tasting segments.

What’s even more special about Diễn pomelo is its long shelf life. By applying a bit of lime to the stem and storing it in a dry, cool place, the pomelo can be kept fresh for 3 to 6 months, maintaining its juiciness and flavor. Due to its delicious taste and long-lasting quality, Diễn pomelo has become a highly sought-after specialty during Tet, bringing families together to enjoy the fruit. It is also a popular gift for those returning home during the Lunar New Year to present to their loved ones.

Location: Phúc Diễn, Từ Liêm, Hanoi

Since ancient times, kumquat trees have become an integral part of Vietnamese culture during the Lunar New Year. According to Vietnamese tradition, kumquats symbolize a bountiful harvest and a prosperous start to the new year. Hence, it is common to see each household display a kumquat tree laden with golden fruit and lush green leaves, symbolizing the family’s wishes for wealth and good fortune in the year ahead. Nestled near the famous Nhật Tân Peach Village, Quảng Bá Kumquat Village in Hanoi comes alive with energy during the Tet season.

A stroll through Quảng Bá Kumquat Village just before Tet will immerse you in a sea of bright yellow kumquats, ready for harvest. Thanks to fertile soil, the kumquat trees in Quảng Bá are heavy with fruit, their skin bright and glossy, and their branches lush and full. The villagers meticulously prune the trees into various shapes and styles, offering a wide range of kumquat trees to suit the diverse preferences of Tet celebrants. Each year, crowds flock to the village to handpick the perfect kumquat tree for their homes.

Location: Quảng An, Tây Hồ, Hanoi

Every year as Tet approaches, Tranh Khúc Chung Cake Village in Thanh Trì district (Hanoi) becomes a flurry of activity with bundles of dong leaves, baskets of fragrant sticky rice, and bright yellow mung beans. This is the time when the village prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the famous Tranh Khúc Chung cakes. If you visit the village at this time, the most common sight will be large pots of cakes simmering over an open fire, filling the air with a delicious, savory aroma. The Tranh Khúc Chung cake is known for its distinct flavor—firm, sticky rice, sweet mung beans, and a generous portion of tender pork belly seasoned with black pepper, all wrapped in the fragrant dong leaves.

Being a traditional craft village, everyone in Tranh Khúc is busy during the Tet season. Adults make and watch over the cakes, while children help with washing and cleaning the dong leaves. This is how the iconic square Chung cakes are made and then distributed widely across the northern markets. What sets Tranh Khúc Chung Cakes apart is the careful selection of each ingredient—sweet mung beans, tender pork, and the finest yellow sticky rice, making the cakes rich in flavor but not greasy.

Location: Duyên Hà, Thanh Trì, Hanoi

Vermicelli is a traditional dish that cannot be missed during Tet celebrations, often featured in ancestor worship rituals. The key to a delicious vermicelli soup lies in the quality of the vermicelli itself—each strand should be firm and springy, not soggy. In northern Vietnam, there is one village renowned for producing some of the finest vermicelli: Cự Đà Vermicelli Village, located in Thanh Oai district, less than 20 km from Hanoi. This village is one of the largest and oldest producers of vermicelli in the region.

The hallmark of Cự Đà Vermicelli is its small, even strands, which are either a golden yellow or pure white. Made from dong (arrowroot) starch, the vermicelli is chewy and crisp, and it doesn't fall apart even if cooked for too long. In preparation for Tet, the villagers begin making the vermicelli in early autumn, when the sun is still hot. The village streets are filled with racks of drying vermicelli. The finished bundles are then distributed to markets across Hanoi and even to southern provinces.

Location: Cự Đà, Thanh Oai, Hanoi

Peach blossoms are a refined tradition and an essential part of Tet celebrations for the Vietnamese people. The vibrant branches of peach blossoms that adorn homes during Tet symbolize warmth, joy, and the hope for a prosperous new year. Nhật Tân Peach Blossom Village is the birthplace of some of the most beautiful peach trees in the country, renowned for their large, red blossoms, thick petals, and beautiful appearance.

Located in Tay Ho district, Nhật Tân is one of the largest and most famous flower villages in northern Vietnam. As Tet approaches, the village becomes a bustling hub with visitors coming to admire, select, and take photos with the peach blossoms. The skillful hands of the local farmers have cultivated a wide variety of peach trees to suit all tastes, from affordable branches to ancient trees that can be worth millions of Vietnamese dong.

When you visit Nhật Tân Peach Blossom Village, you’ll be awestruck by the stunning sight of blooming peach trees. The garden owners are always ready to guide you and help you choose the perfect tree for your home.

Location: Nhật Tân, Tay Ho, Hanoi

As Tet approaches, the air is filled with more than just the sight of peach blossoms, kumquat trees, and fragrant bánh chưng. It’s also the time when the warm, inviting scent of incense fills the air. Yên Phụ Incense Village in Tay Ho district, Hanoi, is one of the oldest incense-making villages in the country. Local elders claim the craft has been practiced here since the 13th century, and it has continued to thrive ever since.

In the days leading up to Tet, the Yên Phụ embankment offers a picturesque view of vast incense fields stretching as far as the eye can see. The incense bundles, once packed, are then shipped to markets and shops, ready for families to light during their Tet celebrations.

The process of making Yên Phụ incense involves many intricate steps, requiring great attention to detail. While it was once done entirely by hand, modern machinery now assists in various stages of production, making the process more efficient while maintaining the traditional quality. This advancement has also eased the labor involved for the artisans and increased productivity.

Choosing the right raw materials is crucial for crafting high-quality incense. Most of the incense is made from pinewood, known for its natural fragrance. After blending and refining, each family creates its own signature scent. The finished incense from Yên Phụ is highly sought after, especially during festive occasions like Tet, when families light incense to honor their ancestors, creating a warm and respectful atmosphere.

Location: Yên Phụ, Tay Ho, Hanoi

Located about 14 km from the center of Hanoi, Bát Tràng Pottery Village in Gia Lâm District has been renowned for its pottery craftsmanship for over 500 years. A visit to this pottery village is a fascinating experience, where visitors can find pottery vases, bowls, and decorative items displayed in every corner, and walls lined with coal-fired kilns. Tourists can explore local workshops, gaining insight into the intricate processes involved in crafting pottery, from delicate flower vases to teapots and colorful sculptures.

The most impressive destination in the village is the pottery market, where hundreds of shops line the streets, offering a vast selection of pottery items. Visitors can browse and touch everything from everyday items like plates, bowls, and flowerpots to decorative pieces such as wall paintings, wind chimes, and necklaces. Many of the items feature traditional folk motifs, including sculptures of farmers, buffaloes, and famous characters like Thị Nở and Chí Phèo, all beautifully crafted in various sizes.

Bát Tràng Pottery Village has hosted its market in the village's warehouse area for many years, and the market is open to visitors year-round. The bustling atmosphere of the market is a testament to the appeal of the village, especially during the lead-up to Tet when the market is more crowded. Visitors flock to the market not only to explore but also to pick out special pottery pieces to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Location: Bát Tràng, Gia Lâm, Hanoi