Tet in Hanoi for international visitors is a once-in-a-lifetime collision of silence and spectacle — a city that never sleeps suddenly holding its breath, then exhaling in fireworks and incense smoke. NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop at Lotte Mall Tây Hồ, Hanoi (★4.9, 500+ reviews), and one of the rare creative experiences that stays open throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. This Tet Hanoi tourists guide covers everything you need to know.
The first thing that changes is the air. Weeks before Tet arrives, Hanoi’s usual motorbike exhaust and phở steam gives way to something sweeter — kumquat blossoms stacked on street corners, peach branches tied to the backs of bicycles, and the unmistakable caramel-and-banana-leaf scent of bánh chưng being boiled in giant pots on sidewalks. You don’t need a calendar to know Tet is coming. Your nose tells you first. (If you’re visiting during Christmas in Vietnam instead, the atmosphere is quite different but equally festive.)
What Tet Actually Feels Like When You’re Not From Here
Most travel guides explain Tet in bullet points — dates, traditions, what’s open, what’s closed. But experiencing Tet as an international visitor is something no itinerary can prepare you for. It’s the disorientation of walking through a city of eight million people and finding it nearly empty. It’s the strange luxury of silence in a place defined by noise.
On Tet Eve (Giao Thừa), the energy shifts. Families gather behind closed doors. Street vendors disappear. Then, at midnight, the sky cracks open — fireworks bloom over Hoàn Kiếm Lake, over the Red River, over every district simultaneously. The smoke drifts down and mixes with incense from a thousand household altars. That smell — gunpowder and sandalwood and the cold January air — that’s the scent of a new year in Hanoi.
For the next three to five days, the city belongs to you in a way it never does at any other time. The Old Quarter, usually packed shoulder-to-shoulder, opens up. You can actually see the architecture. You can hear birds.
The Sensory Calendar: What Hanoi Smells Like During Tet
As perfumers, we pay attention to what a city smells like the way most people notice weather. And Tet transforms Hanoi’s olfactory landscape completely.
One week before: The flower markets explode. Our scents of Hanoi guide maps the city’s aromatic landscape year-round. Quảng Bá Flower Market, already fragrant year-round, becomes almost overwhelming — tuberose, chrysanthemum, peach blossom, and the sharp green scent of kumquat leaves crushed underfoot. Families buy entire peach trees. The branches ride home on motorbikes, their pink blossoms trembling in traffic.
Three days before: Bánh chưng season. Sticky rice, mung bean paste, and pork wrapped in lá dong (phrynium leaves), boiled for twelve hours straight. Neighborhoods set up communal cooking stations on the sidewalk — a practice that smells like wet wood smoke, starchy sweetness, and something deeply vegetal from the leaves. It’s the smell of patience. Of tradition requiring time.
Tet Eve: Incense and firecrackers. Every household burns incense on their ancestor altar. The smoke seeps under doors and through windows, mixing with the cold fog that rolls off West Lake. Then the fireworks — sulfur and celebration, thick enough to taste.
Tet morning: Stillness. Clean air. The rare scent of Hanoi without exhaust fumes. Just cold stone, damp earth, and the perfume of offerings — fresh fruit, flowers, and tea — placed on every doorstep.
What’s Actually Open (and Closed) During Tet in Hanoi
Here’s the reality most guides soften: during the first three days of Tet, Hanoi largely shuts down. Restaurants close. Markets close. For a broader Hanoi itinerary outside of Tet, see our weekend Hanoi 48-hour guide. Many tourist attractions reduce hours or close entirely. This catches international visitors off guard every year.
The exceptions matter. Large malls — including Lotte Mall Tây Hồ — typically remain open, though with adjusted hours. Hotels operate normally. Some cafes in the tourist areas of the Old Quarter reopen by Day 2 or Day 3. Temples stay open and become the center of public life, with locals visiting to pray for good fortune.
This creates an interesting opportunity — read our scents of Hanoi guide for the aromatic side of the city year-round. With fewer activities available, Tet becomes the perfect time for experiences that don’t depend on the usual tourist infrastructure. A 90-minute perfume workshop at Lotte Mall, for instance, fills a gap that most visitors don’t realize exists until they’re standing in an empty Old Quarter wondering what to do next.
“A must visit in Saigon! Cam and Uni taught and guided us through the entire workshop.”
— Navigate42116204054, TripAdvisor
Kumquat Trees, Peach Blossoms, and the Art of Tet Decoration
Walk through any Hanoi neighborhood in the week before Tet and you’ll see something remarkable: an entire city decorating at once. Kumquat trees (cây quất) with their bright orange fruit represent prosperity. Peach blossoms (hoa đào) — Hanoi’s signature — symbolize longevity and ward off evil spirits. The pink branches against grey French colonial walls create a visual poetry that exists nowhere else.
For international visitors, the flower markets are the single best Tet experience. Quảng Bá opens at 2 AM. Yes, two in the morning. Arrive at 4 AM and the market is in full bloom — literally. Farmers from surrounding villages bring in truckloads of chrysanthemums, marigolds, lilies, and the delicate violet-pink mai (apricot blossom, though technically Hanoi’s version is peach, not apricot like the South). The scene is chaos and beauty in equal measure.
The scent is staggering. Hundreds of flower varieties in a small space, all breathing out their perfume into the freezing pre-dawn air. If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to stand inside a perfume ingredient library, this is close.
Tet Food: A Sensory Journey Beyond Phở
Tet food in Hanoi is its own world. Forget the usual restaurant scene — during Tet, the food that matters happens in homes. But here’s what you can find as a visitor, and what it smells and tastes like.
Bánh chưng: The square sticky rice cake is Tet’s edible symbol. Unwrapping the banana leaf releases a rush of steamy, glutinous aroma — earthy, starchy, with the savory depth of slow-cooked pork fat. Best eaten with pickled onion (dưa hành), whose sharp vinegar bite cuts through the richness.
Xôi gấc: Sticky rice dyed bright red-orange with gấc fruit (a kind of spiny gourd). The color is ceremonial — red means luck. The taste is subtle, slightly sweet, and the gấc adds a gentle coconut-like undertone.
Mứt Tết: Candied fruits and seeds arranged on lacquered trays in every home. Coconut ribbons, ginger slices, lotus seeds, kumquat peel — each one a different texture and sweetness, meant to be eaten slowly while sipping trà sen (lotus tea). The ginger pieces are the ones that linger. They burn gently on the tongue, then release a warmth that spreads through your chest.
If you’re invited into a Vietnamese home during Tet — and the warmth of Hanoi people means this happens more often than you’d expect — accept immediately. It’s considered good luck to welcome guests, and the food will be extraordinary.
Day-by-Day: How to Spend Tet in Hanoi as an International Visitor
Tet Eve (Giao Thừa)
Position yourself near Hoàn Kiếm Lake by 10 PM. The atmosphere builds slowly — families strolling, street performers, the steady crackle of small firecrackers in alleyways. At midnight, the official fireworks display erupts over the lake. The reflection doubles them. Stay for the walk home through streets that smell of smoke and possibility.
Day 1 (Mùng 1)
The quietest day. Most shops and restaurants are closed. Visit a pagoda — Trấn Quốc Pagoda on West Lake is stunning in the morning mist. Walk the empty Old Quarter. Have coffee at a hotel or the few open cafes. This is contemplation day — let the silence be the experience.
Day 2 (Mùng 2)
The city begins to stir. Some restaurants reopen. Head to Lotte Mall Tây Hồ — the mall stays open and offers a full day of dining, shopping, and activities. Book a perfume workshop at NOTE – The Scent Lab on the 2nd floor (Store 410). Creating a custom scent inspired by your Tet experience — the peach blossoms, the incense, the cold lake air — is the kind of souvenir that carries memory in every spray.
“Such a fun experience — learned so much about perfume and the staff were so patient and knowledgeable, especially Sophia. Now have a great keepsake from our Hanoi trip!”
— Lucy W, TripAdvisor
Day 3 (Mùng 3)
Hanoi wakes up. Street food returns — find bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls) and cà phê trứng (egg coffee) in the Old Quarter. The flower markets are winding down but still beautiful. Catch the tail end of Tet energy before the city fully returns to normal.
Creating a Scent Memory of Tet
There’s something poetic about making perfume during Tet. The holiday is fundamentally about memory — honoring ancestors, preserving traditions, carrying the past into the future. A custom perfume does something similar. It captures a moment.
At our studio in Lotte Mall Tây Hồ (Store 410, 4F, 272 Võ Chí Công, Tây Hồ, Hanoi), the workshop runs about 90 minutes. You work with 30+ professional-grade ingredients, including Vietnamese specialties like lotus absolute, cinnamon, and Vietnamese agarwood. Your workshop instructor guides you through fragrance families and helps you build something that’s yours — not a copy of a designer fragrance, but a translation of what you’ve experienced into scent.
During Tet, visitors often create blends that reflect the holiday without even trying. The cinnamon and incense notes call to Tet Eve. The floral notes echo the peach blossoms. One visitor last Tet built her entire composition around a smoky-sweet accord that she said smelled like “the morning after fireworks.” That stays.
“This is a not-to-miss experience! We enjoyed every moment. Vy was so helpful and taught us so much about scent pairing. I will do this again when I’m in Hanoi!”
— Seneca C, TripAdvisor
The workshop stays open during Tet. Book online with instant confirmation — no deposit needed, and you can pay by card, transfer, or cash on the day.
Practical Tips for International Visitors During Tet
When is Tet 2027? Tet follows the lunar calendar and falls on a different date each year. In 2027, Tet is expected around late January to mid-February — check the exact date as your trip approaches.
Cash is king. ATMs sometimes run low during Tet. Withdraw enough dong before Tet Eve. Many small shops that do open only accept cash.
Book accommodation early. Hotels in the Old Quarter and near West Lake fill up. Vietnamese domestic tourists also travel during Tet, so demand is high across the country.
Dress warm. Hanoi in January-February is cold — genuinely cold, 8-15°C with high humidity that makes it feel colder. Layers are essential. The dampness seeps into everything.
Learn “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới.” It means “Happy New Year.” Say it to anyone and watch their face light up. Bonus: “Năm mới phát tài” (wishing prosperity) will earn you even bigger smiles.
Red envelopes (lì xì). If you’re invited to a home, bringing small red envelopes with fresh bills inside (even small amounts) for children is deeply appreciated. Buy them at any convenience store.
Getting Around Hanoi During Tet
Grab (Vietnam’s ride-hailing app) works during Tet but with surge pricing, especially on Tet Eve. Expect 2-3x normal rates. Traditional taxis are scarce. Walking is your best option in the Old Quarter — and with empty streets, it’s actually pleasant.
For Lotte Mall Tây Hồ, Grab is the most convenient option from the Old Quarter (about 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic). The mall’s parking is ample if you’ve rented a car. Some hotels offer shuttle services to major malls during Tet.
The Hanoi Metro Line 2A (Cát Linh – Hà Đông) operates during Tet with reduced frequency. It doesn’t reach Lotte Mall directly, but it’s useful for getting across the city’s southern districts.
Why Tet Might Be the Best Time to Visit Hanoi
Most travel advice says to avoid Tet. The closures, the reduced services, the difficulty of getting around — it all sounds inconvenient. And it is, practically speaking.
But inconvenience is not the same as bad. What you lose in restaurant options, you gain in something rarer: a city revealing its private self. The Hanoi you see during Tet — families on evening walks, incense drifting from every doorway, children in áo dài receiving red envelopes, the whole city draped in peach blossoms and gold — this is Hanoi at its most beautiful and its most honest.
You won’t get the polished tourist version. You’ll get something better. You’ll get the real thing, served with sticky rice and strong tea, accompanied by the distant pop of firecrackers and the smell of flowers in cold air.
And maybe, somewhere between a temple visit and a perfume workshop, you’ll create something to carry it home with you — a scent that, months later, will bring you back to that first quiet morning of the new year, when Hanoi held its breath, and you held yours with it.
Wondering what international visitors think of the Hanoi workshop? Browse reviews on TripAdvisor, Klook, and Google Maps.
Follow @note.workshop on Instagram for daily scent stories and behind-the-scenes moments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NOTE – The Scent Lab open during Tet in Hanoi?
Yes. Our studio at Lotte Mall Tây Hồ (Store 410, 4F) stays open during the Tet holiday, though hours may be adjusted. Check our booking page or Instagram (@note.workshop) for confirmed Tet hours each year.
West Lake is visible from the mall’s upper floors. On clear mornings, the lotus fields across the water release a sweetness that drifts through the ventilation — a reminder of why we chose this location.
What is there to do in Hanoi during Tet as a tourist?
Visit pagodas and temples, explore the empty Old Quarter, attend the midnight fireworks at Hoàn Kiếm Lake, browse flower markets, and try hands-on experiences at malls like Lotte Mall Tây Hồ. Many museums and cultural sites reopen by Day 2 or 3.
How cold is Hanoi during Tet?
Hanoi in January-February averages 8-15°C with high humidity. It feels colder than the number suggests. Pack layers, a waterproof jacket, and warm socks — Hanoi’s damp cold is penetrating.
Can I book a perfume workshop in Hanoi online?
Yes. Book and pay online at workshop.thescentnote.com/book. We recommend booking 1-2 days ahead during Tet, as walk-in availability may be limited during the holiday. You can also explore NOTE’s ready-made fragrances and gift sets at thescentnote.biz.
What are the best Tet foods to try in Hanoi?
Bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake), xôi gấc (red sticky rice), mứt Tết (candied fruits), and chè kho (mung bean pudding). Street food returns by Day 2-3, when you can find bánh cuốn and egg coffee in the Old Quarter.
How long does the Tet holiday last?
Officially 5-7 days for the public holiday. The quietest period for tourists is Days 1-3, with most businesses reopening by Day 4-5. Flower markets and decorations remain visible for up to two weeks after.
Where can I see Tet fireworks in Hanoi?
The main display is at Hoàn Kiếm Lake at midnight on Tet Eve. Additional displays happen at various locations across the city. Arrive by 10 PM for a good vantage point near the lake.
