I - What is the weather in Hanoi in April like?
The weather in Hanoi this time is quite pleasant. You do not have to suffer from either the cold monsoons or the harsh sunlight. April is the time for "Blackberry winter - Rét Nàng Bân" to appear - one of the latest cold spells in North Vietnam and Hanoi as well.
1 - Rainfall
There are sudden and prolonged rains in Hanoi in April. The average rainfall is 105mm. After the rain, the air seems to be fresher, cooler, and less dirty. In addition to the rainy season, most of the time during the day is shady, the number of sunny hours in this month is only about 90 hours. Hats or umbrellas should be prepared in advance.
2 - Average temperature in Hanoi in April
Source: Son Vu Le
The average temperature is about 24oC (the highest is 27.2oC; the lowest is 21.7oC). The temperature may drop a little lower, about 11.8oC, when “Rét Nàng Bân” appears.
3 - Humidity
April is also the time when Hanoi humidity peaks by about 89.4 percent, while the annual average is about 82 percent. According to local people's experience, in the second half of April, this humidity could be slightly reduced.
II - What to do in Hanoi in April?
1 - Visiting Hung Kings festival
Hung King's festival, taking place on 10th March in the lunar calendar, is one of the major festivals of Vietnam - the commemoration of the gratitude of Hung Kings who first built the country. There are several unique activities such as procession ritual, thrifting, tug of war, the competition to pack Chung cake,...
You should not miss the Hung Kings festival when visiting Hanoi in April - Source: Insidevietnam
- Location: Nghia Linh Mountain, Hy Cuong Commune, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province (90 km from Hanoi city center - 1 hour 40 minutes traveling by car.
- In 2021: The festival takes place on April 21 in the solar calendar.
- In2022: The festival takes place on April 10 in the solar calendar
2 - Thay Pagoda Festival (March 5th-7th lunar calendar)
Thay Pagoda is located in Sai Son commune, Quoc Oai district, Hanoi city - the worship place of Master Dao Hanh, an ancestor of water puppetry. Visiting Hanoi in April, you can experience the feeling of climbing over cliffs and crags while attending the festival; admiring ancient Vietnamese architecture including the pagoda campus, water house, bridge Nhat Tien and watching water puppet shows,...
- In 2021: The festival takes place from April 16 - 18 in the solar calendar
- In 2022: The festival takes place from April 5 - 7 in the solar calendar
3 - Experience Vietnam Reunification Day in Hanoi in April (30th April)
There are activities such as hanging the national flag at each family, on every street of Hanoi this time. Hanoi also organizes other solemn events to commemorate this historic moment such as parades, music programs,...You can feel the trait of old Hanoi when every street becomes more deserted and less traffic. Most of the people living in Hanoi often choose to spend a short vacation or return to their hometown to visit families on the occasion of Vietnam Reunification Day. Highly recommended places on 30th April in Hanoi: Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum,...
4 - Visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - Source: Vietnammoi
April is also the ideal time to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and enjoy the atmosphere of the historic days of April. Besides visiting Uncle Ho Mausoleum, you can visit other tourist spots nearby such as Uncle Ho’s stilt houses, One Pillar Pagoda,...
- Location: No. 2, Hung Vuong Street, Dien Ban Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi City
- Opening hours: 7:30 - 10:30 from Tuesday - Thursday and 7:30 - 11:30 from Saturday - Sunday. Closed every Monday and Friday.
- Ticket price: 25,000 VND/person/ ($1.07)
- Note: dress politely and the camera is not allowed inside the mausoleum
5 - Enjoy food in Hanoi in April
Some typical food of Hanoi you should not miss this time such as:
After seasoning with spices, pork is cooked with charcoal, leaving it fragrant and fat without drying out. They are served with noodles, Vietnamese herbs, and typical sauces after ripening. Price ranges from 25,000 to 50,000 VND/person ($1.07-2.15).
Hanoi Coffee
Visiting Hanoi in April, you should try the following types of coffee drinks such as iced coffee, egg coffee, coconut coffee...The average price is from 25,000 - 45,000 VND/cup of coffee ($1.07 - 1.93).
Steamed rice rolls (Banh Cuon)
Steamed rice rolls are served with grilled meat, herbs, and typical fish sauce. Price 25.000-50.000 VND/person ($1.07-2.15).
Visiting Hanoi in April, you can feel the fresh, pleasant atmosphere, have the chance to attend many unique cultural festivals and learn more about the beauty and personality of the locals.
— Quan Nguyen
