Hanoi Seasonal Food: Tet, Mid-Autumn and Harvest Dishes

What is in season in Hanoi. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

Banh chung after Tet: Households boil square sticky-rice cakes for Tet (Lunar New Year, late Jan or Feb) and eat the leftovers through spring, sliced and pan-fried with pickled vegetables.
Banh troi banh chay: Glutinous rice balls in ginger syrup, traditionally eaten on the third day of the third lunar month (Han Thuc, cold-food day, March-April).
Spring herbs: Fresh perilla, Vietnamese coriander, fish mint and herbs come into season; bun cha and pho herb plates are at their peak through March and April.

Bun rieu cua: Crab paste noodle soup, traditionally a summer dish in the North because crabs are easiest to harvest from the paddy fields between May and August.
Che sweet soups: Iced sweet bean soups (che dau xanh, che ba mau, che troi nuoc) cool the city through 35-degree June-August afternoons; pavement vendors set up across the Old Quarter.
Lychees and longans: Hung Yen lychees arrive in late May to early July; longans follow in July-August. Stalls on Hang Da and Cho Hom sell them by the kilo, peak season for sticky-rice desserts with longan.

Com lang Vong young rice: Young rice flakes from Vong village, west Hanoi, pounded green and rolled in lotus leaves. The defining autumn flavour of Hanoi, available only September through November.
Mooncakes (Tet Trung Thu): Mid-Autumn Festival (15th of 8th lunar month, around late September) brings mooncake pop-ups across Hang Ma street, with traditional lotus-paste and modern matcha-cream variations.
Persimmons and Hong Pomelos: Da Lat persimmons arrive in October-November and Doan Hung pomelos peak in autumn; both feature in fruit-tea and che desserts.

Hot pho weather: December to February cold spells (down to 10-12 degrees) make pho the defining winter breakfast. Pho Thin Lo Duc, Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan and Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su all run their busiest queues in this season.
Lau hot pots: Charcoal hot pots are the winter dinner of choice; family-run hot pot streets fill in Truc Bach and around Ngu Xa.
Persimmons and Tet preparation: January brings dried persimmons, candied fruits (mut tet) and the build-up to Lunar New Year, with mut tet stalls across Hang Bong and Cho Dong Xuan.