Flower Markets in Hanoi – Prepare For the Tet Holiday
As a routine, about a month before Tet, flower market in Hanoi become busier and more crowded than any time in a year. Peache blossoms, kumquat trees and various kinds of fresh flowers are indispensable in Vietnamese households during traditional Tet. Flower markets in Hanoi attract thousands of Hanoians and both domestic and foreign tourists to delve into colorful flowers. However, many people go to the flower market in Hanoi not only to buy flowers but also to enjoy the flower market’s atmosphere. Hanoi has many flower markets but in this article, we would like to suggest a list of six famous flower markets for Hanoians and visitors.
Quang Ba Flower Market in Hanoi
Quang Ba, Hanoi’s major marketplace for fresh flowers, is the busiest flower market in Hanoi. Visiting Quang Ba Flower Market will satisfy your desire to explore an authentic, local experience in Hanoi, it is a better place to go. However, most tourists miss out on the morning markets just because of the early hours. Quang Ba flower market is supposed to go between 2 am to 4 am.
Tourists will genuinely be surprised at the volume of flowers which are packed onto the single motorbikes. At a glance, we can see roses, chrysanthemums, orchids, sunflowers, lilies, gerberas, hydrangeas and a variety of kinds of greenery being sold at the Quang Ba flower market. Besides these stalls selling arrangements mostly in the same kind of flower sold by the bundle, tourists can catch many street vendors, they pick-up flowers from trucks and on-sell to buyers from the retail shops and they rove across town.
Quang Ba Flower Market is compact and easy to navigate, the main market entrance is via a marked archway, off the Au Co Street. There stand two major corridors through the market, each lined with many stalls on both sides.
Address: Quang An, Tay Ho, Hanoi
Long Bien Flower Market
Long Bien Flower Market in Hanoi is located roughly 3km (exactly a 10-minute drive) north of the Old Quarter and 4 km (a 15-minute drive) south of Quang Ba Flower Market. This market sits at the foot of Hanoi’s iconic Long Bien Bridge, which spans the width of the huge Red River.
Market often runs 24/7 but really gets going after dark. At 1 am, many produce trucks start arriving from China, and it is good fun to watch them being overloaded. Long Bien Flower Market’s peaks at around 3 am, and then the later the market gets, the smellier it becomes. Vendors are assumed to stop selling at about 5 am because police start patrolling the area in vans, they warn people to close up.
Address: Long Bien district, Hanoi
Lac Long Quan Flower Market
Previously, Lac Long Quan Flower Market was one of the largest flower markets in Hanoi, stretching from the beginning of Nghi Tam Road to the end of Au Co Street and running along Lac Long Quan Road. However, due to the heavy traffic, the scale of the market has shrunk, now the market meeting in Lac Long Quan stretches to the front of Thuy Khue.
Lac Long Quan Flower Market is open all day, thus you can visit in any time of the day. The market has many kinds of flowers from many places both overseas and some southern provinces in Vietnam, the myriad of flower villages flock into here to contribute their products. When buying flowers in Lac Long Quan flower market, tourists just have to pay a half of price in comparison with other flower markets.
Address: Lac Long Quan Street, Cau Giay District.
Hang Luoc Flower Market
Although Hanoi has many flower markets, the oldest and the most outstanding flower market is Hang Luoc. This flower market has been run for hundreds of years, and it is the only market held annually on Hang Luoc, which nearby Hang Ma, Hang Khoai, Hang Chai, and Thuoc Bac neighborhoods. Additionally, Hang Luoc flower market will start from the 23rd day of the last month in the lunar calendar until Lunar New Year’s Eve.
The Hanoi locals come to Hang Luoc to buy flowers, branches of peach and kumquat trees, which all originate from the well-known flower villages around Hanoi as Ngoc Ha, Nhat Tan, Tu Lien, Phu Thuong, and Quang Ba. Before delivered to customers, these flowers and trees are carefully selected and transferred. In these days before Tet, mini pink peach branches are quite popular because they fit well flowerpots for a great display on the altars or on the living room tables. Similarly, small potted kumquats seem more common than giant kumquat or peach trees at the oldest flower market in Hanoi.
In addition, the flower lovers come to Hang Luoc to find narcissus, one of the gaudiest flowers for Hanoians during Tet. In recent years, some kinds of flowers originated from the South such as the yellow orchids, apricot, or a number of foreign flowers as tulips are gathered at Hang Luoc Flower Market.
Address: Hang Luoc Street, Hang Ma Ward, Hoan Kiem District.
Tay Tuu Flower Market
Located in Tay Tuu village, in the northern part of Tu Liem district, Tay Tuu flower market takes visitors 20 km from Hanoi center to get. Visiting Tay Tuu market, tourists are not only able to indulge in the flower market’s atmosphere with a hundred kind of flower but also can buy flowers at a low cost in the flower field.
Nevertheless, Tay Tuu flower market operates quite early, and it is closed at about 3 am in the morning. After 3 am, the merchant will deliver these flowers bought with the low-prices into the city center to distribute to the flower shops and some street vendors.
Address: Tay Tuu, Bac Tu Liem.
Night Flower Market in Me Linh
If you are a roses’ lover, Me Linh night flower market in Me Linh flower village, about 30 km from the center), please come to the market to see and buy roses. This flower market is similar to the Tay Tuu market, it runs in night time and closes in the early morning. Therefore, if you want to catch some good deal, come here at around 0:00 – 1:00. Not only famous for roses, visiting Me Linh flower market brings tourists into a paradise of colorful flowers such as jelly, violet, chamomile,…
Address: 23B National Road, Me Linh commune, Me Linh district (near Noi Bai airport).