Hanoi at Dawn

Overview

Dawn is the best time of day in Hanoi; fresh produces delivered to markets on motorbikes and met by a sea of vendors, sanitation workers tidying up before the start of a new day, while many locals are found in all kinds of groups and dance styles breathing in the early morning’s fresh air. Hence, “Hanoi at Dawn” gets us up at the crack of dawn to see the “beginnings” of the city’s daily life.

Itinerary

4:00 AM – Meet up at your hotel and set out to explore the sleepless Long Bien Market, Hanoi’s primary wholesale hub for fruits and other agriculture products. Witness the bustling trades in a chaotic spectacle, that will soon make the produce available on every street in Hanoi.

Walk by eye-catching stacks of fruits, from the watermelon, to pinapple, to mango sections and more, while appreciating the vibrant atmosphere created by market workers – the sellers, drivers, porters, vendors, and delivery people handling a massive flow of goods.

Then head to Quang Ba, the city’s largest wholesale flower market, where wholesalers and florists claim their spots from midnight until sunrise to keep flowers alive longer. Walking through the market is like entering a festival of colors, where piles of roses, lilies, orchids, chrysanthemums, and radiant sunflowers fill every corner.

Immerse into the cheerful energy with the scent of blossoms, and choose a bouquet of flower of your wish while mingling with the vendors with the help of your guide. You can buy flowers in many forms, most popular are bouquets.

Drive along the green tree-lined boulevards spotted with exercising Hanoians, weaving through rivers of motorbikes and satisfying chaos that define the city’s rhythm. In Ba Dinh Square, attend the national flag-raising ceremony taking place in front of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Stop by a sidewalk eatery for pho and coffee, before returning to your hotel.

Notes

• This tour is not suitable for guests who require walking assistance (i.e. wheelchair users).
• Flag-raising ceremony time: 6h00 (1 Apr to 31 Oct), 6h30 (1 Nov to 31 Mar), the attendance is included if time permits.