Top 9 Spring Excursion Spots during Tet near Hanoi

Lunar New Year, or Tet Nguyen Dan, is the perfect time for many people to choose spring excursions with friends and family, experiencing delightful activities before returning to the busy daily life. Vntrip.vn now introduces 9 attractive spring excursion spots near Hanoi for your reference and planning. Let's start the fun right away!

1. Ngoc Son Temple

Ngoc Son Temple is an unmissable destination when mentioning spring excursions in Hanoi. Situated on Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of Hanoi, Ngoc Son Temple dates back to the 19th century and is dedicated to Van Xuong, the deity of literature and Tran Hung Dao, the revered hero of Vietnam.

Ngoc Son Temple encompasses an architectural complex including the Pen Tower, Ink Slab, The Huc Bridge, Dac Nguyet Tower, shrines, and Tram Ba communal house to the South. In the shrine area, besides the two aforementioned deities, there are also Quan Van Truong, La Dong Tan, and Buddha Amitabha.

Ngoc Son Temple is an unmissable destination for spring excursions in Hanoi.

During Tet, a large number of people come here to combine temple visits for New Year's blessings and enjoy the scenery of the lake. Visitors often go to Ngoc Son Temple to pray for fortune, prosperity, and success in studies, careers, and life in the new year.

2. West Lake Palace

West Lake Palace sits on a small island in the middle of West Lake, approximately 4km from the center of Hanoi. This place is closely associated with the worship of the Mother Goddess in Vietnamese culture, particularly honoring Chua Lieu Hanh – one of the Four Immortals of Vietnam.

The altar of Mother Lieu Hanh in West Lake Palace

Many believe that visiting this place will bring forgiveness, blessings, and dispel misfortunes. Therefore, during the Lunar New Year, many people come to worship at West Lake Palace. Additionally, visitors can enjoy the beauty of the palace, West Lake, breathe fresh air, especially in the early morning.

During the festive season, this place is often crowded, and some may regretfully turn back due to the overwhelming crowds. The peak hours are around 10 am to 4 pm daily, especially on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days of the Lunar New Year. To avoid this situation, plan your visit wisely. Also, prepare vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings at home. For Buddhist altars, absolutely avoid offering salt and imitation gold.

3. Tran Quoc Pagoda

Alongside West Lake Palace, Tran Quoc Pagoda is undeniably one of the must-visit places for Lunar New Year celebrations in Hanoi. In the Ly Dynasty, a prosperous period for Buddhism, Tran Quoc Pagoda served as the religious center of the capital.

Today, Tran Quoc Pagoda has become the most welcoming destination in the early days of the Lunar New Year. People primarily come here to pray for peace and good luck in the new year, combining the visit with sightseeing around the pagoda.

Scenery inside Tran Quoc Pagoda

When entering the temple, it's advisable to go through the right gate and exit from the left gate, avoiding the main center gate. Also, during worship, stand diagonally to one side, not directly in front of the altar. When offering to Buddha, avoid using money, gold, salt, or alcohol. Chùa Hương Festival

4. Huong Pagoda Festival

Huong Pagoda, or Huong Son Pagoda, is the most famous cultural and spiritual tourist destination in the Northern region. Just 60km from Hanoi, it's not just a pagoda but also a complex of Vietnamese cultural and religious sites, centered around Huong Pagoda in Hương Tích cave.

You can reach the pagoda by road or waterway. The route passes through Trinh Temple, Bà Cave, Thiên Trù Pagoda with Tiên Sơn Cave, and finally Hương Tích Cave with Giải Oan Pagoda, Cửa Võng Pagoda,... featuring many exquisite marble formations.

Huong Pagoda Festival (photo collection)

Huong Pagoda is chosen by many as a spiritual destination at the beginning of the year because, in addition to participating in the festival, praying for peace and luck for the upcoming year, visitors can also enjoy unique forms of sightseeing and tourism, such as boat rowing, cave exploration, etc. Although the journey may not be short, travelers will be rewarded with countless beautiful scenes of the natural landscape.

5. Den Ba Chua Kho Festival in Bac Ninh

As one of the representative temples for the Mother Goddess worship in Vietnam, Ba Chua Kho Temple attracts many people at the beginning of the year to pray for prosperity, luck, and good fortune. Among them are predominantly business people, traders, who believe that borrowing from Ba Chua Kho will bring them good luck and success in their businesses. At the end of the year, this place also attracts many international tourists with the desire to fulfill their vows - 'borrowing at the beginning of the year, repaying at the end of the year.'

Every year in January marks the beginning of the Ba Chua Kho Temple Festival in Bac Ninh. The main festival starts on the 14th of January, but from the early days of spring, people flock to the Ba Chua Kho Temple. This is not only a place to pray for prosperity and luck for businesspeople but also a nearby destination for Lunar New Year excursions from Hanoi preferred by many tourists.

6. Yen Tu Pagoda Festival

Yen Tu preserves the ancient cultural essence of Buddhism in Vietnam. It is also a destination for Hanoi Lunar New Year excursions that attracts a large number of visitors at the beginning of the year. In addition to the ritual prayers for a prosperous and peaceful year, visitors come here to experience the tranquility that the natural surroundings offer. The journey of climbing the mountain to admire the temple's scenery is also a highlight that attracts tourists.

Lunar New Year at Yen Tu Pagoda Festival (photo collection)

Yen Tu Festival takes place from the 9th of January and lasts until the end of the third spring month. Visitors to Yen Tu not only enjoy the Lunar New Year festivities but also embark on a pilgrimage to the land of Buddha. Along the way, tourists can admire temples and towers nestled by streams and forests. Reaching the mountain peak feels like touching the sky, and the majestic natural scenery unfolds before the eyes of visitors.

7. Tran Temple Seal Opening Festival

When it comes to nearby Lunar New Year destinations from Hanoi, many people will immediately mention the Tran Temple Seal Opening Festival. Tran Temple is the collective name for a complex of temples in Nam Dinh. This is the place to worship the kings of the Tran dynasty and the officials who contributed to the dynasty.

The Tran Temple complex includes three major structures: the Upper Temple (Thien Truong Temple), the Lower Temple (Co Trach Temple), and the Trung Hoa Temple. Outside is the five-gate entrance with carved Chinese characters. Inside each temple, there are 5 front compartments, 5 middle compartments, and 3 main worshiping compartments. Between the front and middle compartments are 2 side chambers and celestial incense chambers.

Every year, the Seal Opening Ceremony takes place on the 15th of January at dawn, attracting a large number of participants. Visitors come here to express gratitude for the contributions of the Tran dynasty kings and perform rituals to seek prosperity and fortune. Especially during the Seal Opening Ceremony, everyone hopes to receive the consecrated leaf to ensure prosperity and success throughout the year.u

8. Lim Festival in Bac Ninh

Lim Festival is held on the 13th of January every year. This festival honors traditional folk music of Northern Vietnam. The Lim Festival includes both ritual and festive sections. The ritual section begins with a colorful and eye-catching procession. During the ceremony, ancient customs and folk rituals are preserved, such as the post-worship singing tradition.

Participation in the ceremony requires the presence of officials, elderly people, and men from the entire Internal Duet. The festive section features folk games such as wrestling, chess, swing riding, buffalo fighting songs, and boat-rowing songs. The most special part of the festival is the performance of elder brothers and sisters in traditional attire singing folk songs on a beautifully decorated dragon boat.

In addition to the Lim Festival, Bac Ninh has many other traditional cultural festivals for you to explore during the Lunar New Year. You can also combine your spiritual journey with visits to ancient temples and shrines, savoring the famous specialties of this region such as Dinh Bang phu the cake, Cho village rice cake, and Diem village khuc cake.

9. Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival in Ninh Binh

Visitors to the Bai Dinh Pagoda complex during the Lunar New Year not only come to pray for luck, prosperity, and happiness but also to admire the unique architecture and witness the 9 records recorded here. The distinctive and diverse architecture of Bai Dinh Pagoda attracts international tourists not only during Tet but also at various times throughout the year.

Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival (photo by the collector)

Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival starts from the evening of the 1st day of Tet, opens the main festival on the 6th day of Tet, and lasts until the end of March every year. This also marks the beginning of the pilgrimage events to the ancient land of Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. The Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival consists of 2 parts: The ceremony includes the incense offering ritual and the procession carrying the statues of Thanh Cao Son, Thanh Nguyen, and Madame Thuong Ngan from the old temple area to the new temple area for the festival.

The Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival includes folk games, cave exploration, temple visits, and enjoying traditional arts such as cheo, xam, and ca tru in the ancient capital. Surely, this is a near Hanoi pilgrimage destination that tourists cannot miss at the beginning of the year.

Wishing you wonderful and memorable journeys to these Lunar New Year pilgrimage destinations near Hanoi suggested by Vntrip.vn.

See more: 14 ideal places for entertainment in Hanoi with family and friends on weekends