Hanoi through the eyes of autumn lovers

Finding autumn in familiar corners of Hanoi

Hanoi enters autumn with cool, crisp weather, gentle sunshine and streets, trees and lakes taking on a softer, more subdued look. Sometimes, all it takes to experience the season is a familiar street corner, a flower-laden bicycle or a quiet afternoon by a lake.

Ngo Cong Dung, a Hanoi resident, spends much of his time exploring the city and capturing moments as autumn arrives.

His photographs span the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, Long Bien Bridge, the Red River, Kim Ma Street and streets lined with milk flowers.

For Dung, one of the main attractions of autumn in Hanoi is the cool, crisp weather and pleasant atmosphere. It is also the time when he enjoys taking his camera out more often, as even familiar places can evoke different feelings at different times of day.

"Autumn in Hanoi is very special. The cool, crisp weather and atmosphere make us feel refreshed and comfortable," Dung said.

Hanoi is developing with an increasingly vibrant pace of life, but Dung said autumn still brings out corners of the city that reveal another side of Hanoi — more contemplative and gentle.

"There are moments when Hanoi seems to slow down, becoming gentle and imbued with the character of the city," he said.

For Dung, every photograph carries its own emotion, making it difficult to choose a single most memorable moment.

Autumn's beauty can be found in a sunrise, the golden light at the end of the day, a lake at sunset or the slower rhythm of everyday life in Hanoi.

Returning every autumn

Phan Thanh Dat, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, returns to Hanoi every autumn. For him, the annual trip has almost become a tradition.

"Every year, I make time to visit Hanoi in autumn. Hanoi's autumn is always so captivating that when the season comes, I want to pack my bags and go," Dat said.

Dat likes to start his day around St. Joseph's Cathedral. Having a glass of lemon tea and com (a Vietnamese delicacy made from young green rice) while sitting in a small corner and watching the city wake up is an experience he seeks out whenever he visits.

"You're sitting in the middle of the city, hearing the sounds of traffic and people talking, but you don't feel rushed. That's very Hanoi," Dat said.

He also enjoys walking through the Old Quarter, watching the trees begin to change and taking in old houses and small street corners. Along the way, he sometimes comes across bicycles laden with flowers or seasonal fruit weaving through the streets.

There may be baskets of chrysanthemums, the last lotus flowers of the season, persimmons or pomelos. These colors stand out against the old streets, creating simple scenes that Dat considers particularly characteristic of Hanoi in autumn.

In the afternoon, Dat often rides around West Lake. He likes to take it slow, letting the breeze pass over him and watching the lake change with the light.

As the afternoon fades, the water shifts from golden hues to the red hues of sunset before gradually darkening and giving way to distant lights.

On some days, he does not go far, instead choosing a quiet café where he can sit by the window, drink coffee, read a book and listen to songs about Hanoi.

"Hanoi's autumn is slow, peaceful and romantic. It doesn't need too many special things, but it is enough to make people remember it," Dat said.

For those who live in Hanoi or simply visit during autumn, what stays with them is not always a particular landmark. It may be a chilly morning, a row of trees, the scent of milk flowers, a bicycle carrying flowers or an afternoon by the lake.

Such images return every year in a city that is changing day by day. Yet when autumn arrives, Hanoi seems to retain enough quiet moments for people to pause, take in their surroundings and preserve them in their memories.

The 2026 Hanoi Autumn Festival, themed "Hanoi Autumn – Journey of Emotions," will take place from September 25 to 27 at Thong Nhat Park, featuring nine experiential spaces across an area of around 5,000 square meters.

Visitors can explore Hanoi's heritage space, experience autumn tourism routes using VR and AR technology in the tourism and experience space, and take part in Bat Trang pottery-making and Van Phuc silk-weaving activities in the craft villages and community culture space.

The Hanoi cuisine space will showcase seasonal specialties such as com, lotus tea, mooncakes and pho.

The festival will also feature spaces highlighting localities and OCOP (One Commune, One Product) goods, international exchanges, culture, sports and tourism, as well as painting exhibitions and arts and creative activities, along with workshops and traditional and contemporary performances.