Hanoi Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Hanoi, Vietnam)

More festivals, events and seasonal things to do happen in and around Hanoi than anywhere else in Vietnam. Virtually every month has events that will be of interest to tourists. Although many festivals are based around religion, most of them are joyous events and of interest to the non-believer, with processions, dancing and eating being the norm.

Big festivals in Hanoi include the annual Tet and Mid-Autumn celebrations. The Thay Pagoda Festival is also a noted event, featuring as it does water puppet shows.

Hanoi Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• New Years Day - January 1st, although the country largely follows the lunar calendar, New Year is celebrated with as much verve as it is in the Western world

February

• Tet Festival - usually early February, marking the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Celebrations go on for three full days over the term of the full moon
• Co Loa Festival - with lots of celebrations in nearby Co Loa dedicated to King An Duong Vuong, the founder of Vietnam. Expect dancing, street parades, cheo theatrical presentations, wrestling and cockfighting

March

• Dong Nhan Temple Festival - held in early March, a three-day festivity from the 5th with human chess, a lantern dance, and lots of fun involving a water procession
• Dong Festival - a busy, fun event just over the river from town in Gia Lam district. Dong Genius is the mythical historical character celebrated, with mock battles and water-puppetry

April

• Le Mat Festival - celebrates the slaying of an overgrown snake under the tenure of King Ly Thai Tong. Snake dances, mock battles and water processions go off in nearby Le Mat village in Gia Lam District
• Thay Pagoda Festival - a fun water-puppet event with religious overtones that takes place in nearby Quoc Oai District. It is dedicated to Dao Hanh, the water-puppet patron saint, and takes place at a prominent temple in Quoc Oai

May

• Labour Day (May Day) - May 1st, a public holiday celebrated in Hanoi with parading, eating, and lots of fireworks
• Birthday of founding president Ho Chi Minh - May 19th, a fun event celebrating the most prominent figure in the recent history of Vietnam, Uncle Ho

June

• Chem Temple Festival - takes place in nearby Thuy Phuong, Tu Lien District in mid-June, with dragon boating on the Red River, as well as kite flying and the release of doves

August

• Do Son Buffalo Festival - early August, held in Hai Phong, a couple of hours from Hanoi, and features traditional buffalo fighting and, usually, gruesome deaths for the animals
• Vietnamese All-Souls' Day - late August / early September sees the Feast of the Wandering Souls and Hungry Ghosts, a day of eating and feeding of the ghosts at temples throughout Hanoi. Money burning also accompanies the event

September

• Mid-Autumn Festival - held in mid-September, celebrating the autumn moon, with the eating of moon cakes and general street festivities

October

• Vong Thi Festival - in late October, with classical music and cockfighting at Vong Thi Pagoda, in the Ba Dinh District

November

• Ha Thach Festival - in early to mid-November, this takes place in Phu Tho outside Hanoi with fairly subdued celebrations

December

• Festival Aromes - when renowned chefs congregate at the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotels for cookery presentations and talks