Autumn in Hanoi is a season of poetry
Between the sweaty swelter of summertime and crisp cold weather of winter, Autumn slinks in like a dissonant chord resolving into harmony. It is a reason of romance and nostalgia that has been crooned about by centuries of singers and scrolls and scrolls of poet’s pens. The whole city takes on a shade of gold that painters brushstrokes can’t quite hold on to.
From September to December, Hanoi is dry and cool, hovering between 18 and 25°C with low humidity. The season is a literal breath of fresh air after the summer monsoons: the sky clears into a brilliant, cloudless blue, giving space to the greenery that’s unfolded during a lush season of rain.
The cheer and delight of seasonal festivals combined with the homey comfort of seasonal dished are enough to encourage a timely visit on their own. Add sighing golden landscapes, toasted-golden weather, and the bounty of a harvest to understand why autumn in Hanoi is the stuff of poetry.
Hanoi Nature at its Most Photogenic
Much is made about “fall foliage” in North America. Northern Vietnam, with its four seasons in contrast to the tropical South, is one of Southeast Asia’s best counterparts to that colorful display.
Autumn is when Hanoi is at its most photogenic. The gray haze of the rainy season clears away, leaving the sky a clear and crystalline blue. The leaves of the trees lining wide city streets begin to turn red, yellow and brown. The sun takes on a particularly radiant hue, a gilded beaming through the ruddy branches. Delicate hoa sua (alstonia scholaris) erupt the trees, filling entire neighborhoods with a powerfully sweet and distinctive smell that captivates the creativity of artists and musicans.
Students and young women emerge in ao dai – Vietnamese traditional attire in search of the prettiest places to take pictures, while vendors pedal past on bicycles selling bright bouquets of white and yellow daisies. These flocks of models, photographers and flower sellers become part of the landscape, fluttering brightly through the fall like so many tropical birds.
Mid-Autumn Festival in Hanoi
Tet Trung Thu is the Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes also called the Mooncake Festival or the Children’s Festival. Vietnamese children wait the whole summer for this season of drums and dragon dancing, sweets and song.
The whole country spends weeks unfurling the festivities. The first sign is the arrival of pop-up stores and vendor stands selling colourful masks and red paper lanterns. As though overnight, each corner of Hanoi opens a mooncake shop selling ornately-decorated geometric cakes in an endless variety of sweet or savory mystery fillings. These are meant to be offered ancestors or shared in tiny slices with friends alongside thimble-sized glasses of hot tea.
Tropes of costumed children take over courtyards, cul-de-sacs and street corners, bearing red lanterns. A drum beat will begin ominously, signaling the arrival of the lion dancers. An enormous lion costume emerges into the crowd, ripping paper or tassel of fabric stretched over a bamboo frame and animated by hidden acrobats. The lion dance is graceful and frightening at intervals, soulful gyrations and precise lunges that follow the drum beat like hypnosis. A secondary character, Ong Dia the Earth God, adds comic relief to the rapture.
What to Eat in Autumn in Hanoi
Cốm – Green rice
In Vietnamese cuisine, cốm also known as green rice, is flattened and chewy green rice. It is not colored green, but rather immature rice kernels that have been roasted at extremely low heat and mashed in a mortar and pestle until flattened.
When the summer heat begins to fade in September Hanoians begin to harvest and process cốm. This is also the time of year when street merchants selling cốm show up on Hanoi’s streets. The autumn present is delicately wrapped in lotus leaves.
In addition to enjoying it directly, people can try cốm rice-based delicacies such as cốm sticky rice, cốm cake, and cốm sweet soup, among others. Either way, you can still experience “The Taste of Autumn in Hanoi” in every grain of fragrant cốm.
Sấu chín – Ripe Dracontomelon
Ripe dracontomelon is unavoidable while thinking about autumn meals in Hanoi. In late summer and early fall, street merchants in the Old Quarter sell ripe dracontomelon fruits. If the sour green dracontomelon is used to make soup and braise duck, the ripe yellow dracontomelon has a mellow sweet taste and is popular among foodies as a snack.
The pickled dracontomelon, which is shaken with a little sugar, a little salt, and a little paprika, softly shaken for the spices to infuse, seeped into each piece of the fruit, is a typical snack of students on autumn days. The slightly sour flavor merges with the sugar and salt, while remaining crisp and crunchy, bringing in more salty, sweet, and spicy sensations to stimulate the taste buds.
Bánh Trung thu – Vietnamese mooncakes
Vietnamese mooncakes, a beloved treat during the Mid-Autumn Festival, come in various flavors that cater to different palates. Vietnamese mooncakes carry a rich history and deep cultural significance. They are made in square or round shapes to express gratitude towards nature. The round mooncakes symbolize a complete and abundant life, while the square mooncakes represent the freedom and happiness of individuals.
Visit Vietnam during the Mid-Autumn festival, here are the top 5 must-try mooncake flavors for you to enjoy a delightful treat: Mixed paste mooncake, Vietnamese mooncakes with red/green bean paste, Lotus seed paste mooncake, Salted egg yolk custard lava mooncake, Matcha mooncake, etc.
Bánh trôi tàu – Floating rice cakes
When it becomes cold in Hanoi, people joyfully invite one other to eat floating rice cakes. This dish features a soft and silky crust with a soft, sweet filling within, and it is served with a light sugar syrup with a little ginger flavor. All of the tastes mingle together to create a distinct sweet and spicy sensation that rapidly wins over consumers.
Chả rươi – Sandworm omelet
Rươi (Sandworm) is a water-dwelling animal with a high protein content. Rươi is processed into a variety of meals, the most popular of which is Chả rươi in Hanoi. Chả rươi is a deep-fried dish made up of sandworms, minced pork, eggs, tangerine peel, and dill. Chả rươi is served with vermicelli, fresh veggies, and a sweet and sour sauce.
Chả rươi is available all year in Hanoi, but it is most tasty from September to November of the lunar calendar, according to many gourmets, because this is the breeding season. Following that, it is normally refrigerated to be eaten gradually. Delicious Chả rươi may be found at Ô Quan Chưởng, Lò Đúc, and Hàng Bè markets, among other places.
Ốc – Snail
Snail is most likely a meal that may be eaten at any time of year. They are, however, considerably more delightful on cool, chilly days. While the snails are still hot, you may order some additional popular side dishes like pickled fruits, fried quail with tamarind, steamed clams, and so on.
Many people choose to enjoy the autumn ambiance, while sitting on the sidewalk next to a dish of hot, steaming snails. The simple and easy technique of processing distinguishes Hanoi hot snails from other sorts of snails in Saigon. Snails are cooked with lemongrass, ginger and lemon leaves to give them a distinct flavor. The cooking procedure preserves the sweet and crunchy flavor of the snails. Snail dipping sauce contains chile and ginger. This is also the component that makes many diner flutter.
Bún riêu – Crab Paste Vermicelli Soup
Bún riêu is a meal that Hanoians are all too acquainted with. Bún riêu is frequently served with a variety of toppings in Hanoi, including beef, pig loin, cartilage ribs, fried tofu, duck eggs, snails, and so on. Despite numerous changes, the distinct taste has not changed. This meal is loaded with nutrients, including calcium from mashed crab shells, iron from congealed pig’s blood, and vitamins and fiber from veggies.
Mì gà tần – Chicken stew with herbs noodles soup
When it comes to foods ideal for Hanoi’s fall weather, many Gen Zers instinctively think of mì gà tần. This meal is best enjoyed late at night when the weather begins to cool.
The powerful broth with the scent of traditional herbs and wormwood is the soul of the dish, delicately seasoned to have a cool taste, and eaten with noodles and a few bean sprouts. As simple as that, the meal has become a favorite among many young people and food lovers.
Cháo sườn sụn – Pork rib porridge
Pork rib porridge is another popular dish among visitors to the old town and Dong Xuan market. Rib porridge is smooth and flexible, mashed like a powder. Cooked cartilage ribs are added to white porridge. Cháo sườn is sometimes served with quails and prawns to increase the taste.
Cà phê trứng – Egg coffee
Egg coffee is a popular choice for autumn gatherings and meetings. A classic Hanoi drink combines the greasy taste of eggs with the warm, fragrant flavor of coffee. Enjoying egg coffee at a historic coffee shop, reading a book, or watching the flow of people on the street will round up the fall season.
Autumn in Northern Vietnam
Autumn is harvest season in Northern Vietnam, where rice is grown on the sides of mountains, carved into spectacular terraces that curve around the waists of hillsides. In the fall, these terraces roll over into yellow and gold and stretch out into the horizon in an otherworldly coupling between human agricultural ingenuity and natural landscaping.
Sapa. Ha Giang, Pu Luong and Yen Bai are three of the country’s most spectacular agricultural regions, farmed by ethnic minority communities many of whom still wear their traditional costumes and live very different lives from the majority Kinh ethnic group.
Hanoi is a perfect base for exploring northern Vietnam. Courageous travelers rent motorbike to drive through the treacherous mountain roads to see the jaws of peaks and valleys open into rivers, waterfalls, and faraway farms. Book a tour through the area to safety experience autumn in northern Vietnam with experienced guides that can fully educate guests about its history, its ethnic and cultural groups, and its regional culinary specialties.
Cre: Vinpearl, Vietnam.travel, Vietnam Insider.
Images: Internet.
