1. Spring in Hanoi
Spring in Hanoi is short and often from the last days of January (http://www.hanoiweather.info/2015/12/hanoi-weather-in-january.html) to March or first days of April. Spring coming means a new lunar year is coming. People in Hanoi as well as other places in Vietnam are eager to enjoy the Tet holiday – the biggest holiday and festival of Vietnam every year.
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| When is the best time to visit & travel Hanoi Vietnam |
On Tet holiday, Hanoi is quiet and peaceful, different from the noisiness of daily life. Despite enjoying the Tet holiday of Vietnam, tourists travel to Vietnam at that time will have to meet some difficulties, because there are little services, so the price is much higher.
The weather in spring is much warmer, humid and has drizzling rains. This kind of weather is suitable for the plants to grow and flowers to blossom. The green buds appear on the trees and flowers seem to be more beautiful in the spring. Peach-blossom, especially Nhat Tan peach-blossom, is a very famous kind of flower of Hanoi in the occasion of Tet holiday. Other kinds of flower, such as rose, gladiolus, narcissus…, are also more beautiful than in other seasons. Tourists who love taking photos can have a chance to take photos with “Sưa flower” or “Mountain-ebony flower” (Ban Flower) in some streets of Hanoi.
2. Summer in Hanoi
Hanois summers often begin on the middle April but it starts to get hot from May and lasts to the end of August. It is hotter and hotter (always over 30°C), and July is usually the hottest month of a year. Sometimes the temperature outside can reach 40°C. Moreover, heavy rain (read more: Hanoi rainy season) is one feature of Hanois summer, along with high humidity. Be ready to be sweat under the sun during days, event at night, it is still too hot.
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| When is the best time to visit & travel Hanoi Vietnam |
Based on the uncomfortable weather conditions, summer seems to be the hardest season for tourists to travel to Hanoi. However, Hanoi in summer is colorful with many kinds of flower. White Madonna lily on April, red flamboyant and violet Lagerstroemia speciosa (Bang Lang flower) on May, and WestLake lotus on June will attract people to take photos. Summer is a season of variety of fruits in the north of Vietnam. And you can taste them in the capital of Hanoi, such as: grapefruit, litchi, mango, watermelon, pineapple…
The symbol of the summer in Hanoi and Vietnam is the lotus flower. Every year, from May to July according to the lunar calendar, the ponds near the West Lake are covered with the pink of lotus blossoms, which have become a favourite rendezvous of young people in Hanoi and the endless inspiration for artists to create art. During this time of the year, the fragrance of lotus flowers follow vendors to every corner of the streets and its alluring perfume seems to mingle into the air and reminds Hanoians of the past. It is hard to find another flower with a fragrance that is more attracting than that of lotus.
Hanoi also has many precious lotus varieties, especially those from the West Lake area. Some parts of lotus flowers are used as medicine or to scent tea, making it a tonic drink for a healthy physical and mental life. Visiting the West Lake area during the lotus season, people have a chance to not only enjoy the pure beauty of lotus flowers - the symbol of culture, spirit and elegant personality of the Vietnamese, but also to buy lotus scented tea, a famous specialty of Hanoi. Click here to check out more about Hanoi West Lake
3. Hanoi in Autumn
With me, autumn is the most beautiful season in Hanoi, when the climate is cool and dry but still sunny. Autumn in Hanoi begins when people can feel the smell of alstonia scholaris (that means milk flowers) in the streets at cool nights and it lasts from September to November before getting cold.
People need to wear a light overcoat or a cardigan when go out. Hanoi in autumn is truly romantic and peaceful. You can see the many yellow and red leaf trees along the streets, the sky is bluer, and the water in many lakes of Hanoi is greener. It is also good time to enjoy the mid-autumn festival, one of the biggest festivals each year in Vietnam celebrated on the lunar August, 15th. Besides milk flowers with special smell, daisy is an autumn’s specific flower, along with Cốm (green rice flakes) – a specialty of Hanoi in this season.
Milk flowers are traditional symbol of Hanoi’s autumn. There're many songs and that mention their charming fragrance. Walking along Hanoi’s streets and besides its lakes, you breath in the beautifully sweet fragrance of Hoa Sua, or Milk Flowers. The streets where milk flower abound such as Phan Dinh Phung and Hoang Hoa Tham, and the National University’s campus don beautiful cloaks of white when the season of milk flowers returns.
The fragrant “milk flower” has been the symbol of autumn in Hanoi for generations. Blossoming when fall arrives, it delights everyone who loves the city. Ms Thanh, a Hanoi resident says: “I love Hanoi with all its memories of my childhood and family. I still remember my school days and poems about the flowers blossoming in Hanoi’s streets.”
Milk flower trees line the streets, perfuming the night air and creating an area of romance for young couples out on a date. Hanoians say when the milk flowers are in bloom, it’s the best time to visit the capital city.
4. Winter in Hanoi
The winter of Hanoi starts from December and may last until the February, with the average temperature of 15-17°C. Sometimes it drops to below 10°C and the high humidity will make the weather a little bit colder. Remember to bring warm clothes if you don’t want to get a cold when visiting a tropical country. Read more: What to wear in Hanoi
Winter often brings a sad feeling, because the sky is often dark and gloomy. However, Hanoi seems to have its busiest days of the year and streets are more crowded than usual during working hours as people are in rush to complete all the remaining works and prepare for Tet holiday. The cold weather enables people living in Hanoi or visitors to enjoy the tasty hot food like hotpot or grill dishes.
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| When is the best time to visit & travel Hanoi Vietnam |
If you want to explore the distinction of 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter in Vietnam, let’s take a trip to Hanoi and feel it. Each season, Hanoi has its own specificites, special foods and flowers.
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