The incredible Quang Phu Cau incense village, Hanoi
The incredible Quang Phu Cau incense village is one of the most impressive sights in all of Vietnam and is an absolute must visit for any traveller to the country. It's exceedingly unique, and you wont come across anything quite like it. Also known as Quảng Phú Cầu.
Quite simply, there's no experience quite like it.
In this article:
The significance of incense in Vietnam
Where is Quang Phu Cau incense village?
How to get to Quang Phu Cau incense village
Why you should book a tour instead of a taxi
The best tours to the incense village
What to expect from a day trip
You'll see yellow and red incense sticks all over Vietnam, which is a very common part of their culture. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and a centre of civilization for millennia, stands as the history holder of of noble cultural values and age-old craft villages (not dissimilar to Hue Imperial City!). Visitors to Hanoi have the chance to explore numerous exquisite craft villages, including the likes of Bat Trang pottery village and Ha Dong silk village, not solely admiring the city's timeless architectural wonders. But of course, the most photogenic of these villages has to be Quang Phu Cau, the Incense Village upholding the ancient art of incense crafting for over a century.
I would recommend booking a tour - don't hire a taxi to take you there! Read more details below. If you're a photography lover, then this is the ultimate choice for you! Here is your full incense village travel guide!
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Why is incense so important in Vietnamese Culture?
It's tradition to burn incense at the altar. The act of offering incense at an altar is a nearly universal custom found in spiritual traditions worldwide. At its core, incense is perceived to cleanse the environment and drive away bad spirits. Particularly for Buddhists, like many of the Vietnamese, this practice holds special symbolic significance.
In Vietnam, an incense stick is a sacred link between the living and the dead. As a result, the burning of Vietnamese incense sticks is deemed an essential customary ritual for all occasions, notably including the death anniversary and the Tet holiday.
The simultaneous burning of three incense sticks can symbolize the Three Treasures – the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. Igniting an incense stick to produce fragrant smoke embodies the need to drive away negative attributes, revealing the inherent purity within us. The scent of incense, sourced from natural origins, is meant to clear the mind and induce a state of peacefulness. Its aroma diffuses extensively, much like a good deed's positive influence on the entire world.
If you ran out of time in Hanoi, you can also find an incense village in Hue.
Where is Quang Phu Cau's incense village?
Quang Phu Cau Incense Village is around 35 kilometres south of Hanoi's centre and will take roughly 50 minutes to get to. From Ninh Binh, it is 81km and will take approximately 1 hour 20 to get there. The village resides within Quang Phu Cau commune, Ung Hoa district. Quang Phu Cau has gained renown for producing traditional incense sticks for well over a century. This traditional craft village is a short, half day trip from Hanoi. In Cau Bau, Phu Luong Thuong village, and Dao Tu hamlets within the village, the streets are covered with the vibrant hues of red and bright fuscia pink, deep forest greens and an array of bright colours.
Quang Phu Cau incense village address:
Quang Phu Cau
Làng làm hương đỏ
Tăm hương Long Hòa
How to get to Quang Phu Cau incense village Hanoi
The proximity of Quang Phu Cau's incense village to central Hanoi makes it easy to access via car, motorcycle, or bus.
By motorcycle or car: From downtown Hanoi, follow National Highway 21B, then Provincial Road 429 to Quang Phu Cau.
By bus: Reach Yen Nghia bus station and board bus No.91. By Cat Linh – Ha Dong overhead railway: Disembark at the final stop near Yen Nghia bus station, then transfer to bus No.91.
Quang Phu Cau Incense Village Entrance Fee
The best thing about Quang Phu Cau is that it is completely free! However, if you want to take photos, they charge a very reasonable fee of 50 VND per person (1.70 GBP or 2 USD).
Why you should book a tour instead of taking a taxi
I would recommend booking a tour - don't hire a taxi to take you there!
Why? Because the first time we went, we booked with a taxi, turned up too late (they were already packing away incense displays) and didn't get to see the village in its full glory!
Don't hire a taxi to take you there, unless you have a guaranteed way of getting back. We thought we could just order a taxi back, but unfortunately, there are no taxis in the area. It's a tiny little village, you won't be able to find any local taxis (unless you call and wait for an hour)!
For this reason, I recommend just booking onto a tour for ease. You'll be taken to the incense making workshop, you'll learn more and have a better experience!
Tours to Quang Phu Cau's Incense Village
Get yourself booked onto a tour, this is definitely the best way to experience the place; on an incense village tour! You will learn a lot more than if you just turn up to Cau village.
Example Itinerary for Quang Phu Cau Incense Village Exploration Duration of Tour: Half Day, Hotel Pickup Available
Type of Tour: Private or group tour
8:15 am: Pick from your hotel in Hanoi from your tour driver for pickup.
9:50 am: Arrival at Quang Phu Cau Village, it may be busy at this time, but it's better than arriving too late when they start moving or clearing the incense arrangements away. At this time, the local farmers will have already laid out incense and they usually do so in interesting art formations. The incredible, insane incense formations will change on a regular basis: expect to see flowers, stars, or in our case, we were treated to a sight of the Vietnamese flag and the shape of the Vietnamese country itself! Amid this vivid display, you might be lucky enough to see locals at work.
11:00 am: Proceed to the village's factory to observe and delve into the process of crafting incense. You can actually see where the magic happens: where you'll spot locals making incense sticks. The incense making includes bamboo preparation, immersing sticks in dyes, and the intricate process of forming incense paste. An opportunity to photograph the local farmers, who have nurtured the art of incense-making across generations, will be plentiful.
Optional lunch: if lunch is included in your tour, you'll head to a local restaurant. Most tours will provide water for you (it does get extremely hot, especially at midday!), but as it's a relatively short tour, you have to have lunch included. Have that back when you're in Hanoi town centre.
Relax and return to Hanoi via private car. Upon reaching Hanoi, you will be dropped off at your hotel.
Compare tour prices on Get Your Guide and on Viator.
What to expect from a day trip to Quang Phu Cau?
A visit to Quang Phu Cau's incense village takes you a fun and unusual journey into the traditional art of crafting incense sticks. Oh, and of course, capture some of the most unusual, stunning pictures.
If you're wondering about Quang Phu Cau incense village entrance fee, then don't worry, there isn't one! You will have to pay to take photos though (see below!).
Upon entry, you'll witness the vibrant lives (and vibrant incense sticks) of the local inhabitants. Throughout the village, bundles of crimson incense sticks resemble flowers that give it that 'farm' look.
Incense is dried across various open spaces in the street, and most places that cater to tourists will arrange the incense sticks into formations that are aesthetically pleasing - in short, they'll make it look pretty. Ours was arranged to resemble the Vietnamese flag, and was a layout of the country too!
As you step into the village, numerous large incense bundles catch the eye, with one end bound together and the others fanning out in a pretty unique structure, meaning that incense bundles 'stand up'. It's unusual and beautiful.
Quang Phu Cau's incense usually comes in the colours of yellow and red, which are said to be lucky.
Due to its unusual, photogenic appearance and popularity with tourists, Quang Phu Cau's Incense Village has become known for its traditional craftsmanship, drawing local and international tourists alike to explore its wonders when they arrive in Hanoi. As it should!
If you can, book a tour to the incense production warehouse, where you can witness skilled locals meticulously crafting incense sticks.
Taking photos at Quang Phu Cau Incense Village
In some places there's a fee of 100,000 VND per person to take photos, it cost us 100,000 VND for 2 people. Which I think is very reasonable considering.
Also, always ask for permission before taking photos of the locals, as you need to respect that some of them may not wish to be photographed!
Compare tour prices on Get Your Guide and on Viator.
Weather in Quang Phu Cau year round
Here's the weather in Hanoi and Quang Phu Cau year round, so you know what to expect. Remember that it can get very hot in the summer, so take some water and refreshments with you!
January:
Average Temperature: 17°C (63°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 11 hours
Rainy Days: About 16 days
February:
Average Temperature: 18°C (64°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 11 hours
Rainy Days: Around 15 days
March:
Average Temperature: 20°C (68°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 12 hours
Rainy Days: About 17 days
April:
Average Temperature: 24°C (75°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 13 hours
Rainy Days: Around 13 days
May:
Average Temperature: 28°C (82°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 13 hours
Rainy Days: About 13 days
June:
Average Temperature: 30°C (86°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 14 hours
Rainy Days: Around 16 days
July:
Average Temperature: 31°C (88°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 13 hours
Rainy Days: About 14 days
August:
Average Temperature: 31°C (88°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 13 hours
Rainy Days: Around 13 days
September:
Average Temperature: 29°C (84°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 12 hours
Rainy Days: About 9 days
October:
Average Temperature: 26°C (79°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 11 hours
Rainy Days: Around 6 days
November:
Average Temperature: 22°C (72°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 11 hours
Rainy Days: About 7 days
December:
Average Temperature: 18°C (64°F)
Daylight Hours: Approx. 10 hours
Rainy Days: Around 11 days
Travel resources for your trip that are actually really handy!
Here's everything I use when I travel abroad, I strongly advise you to have travel insurance, and the other recommendations are also super handy!
Travel insurance - don't ever go on vacation without travel insurance, you never know when you might need it!
Tours - Compare tour prices on Viator and Get Your Guide
Hotels - I always use Booking as the more hotels I book, I get a higher Genius discount. I also compare prices on Expedia.
Airport transfers - I book through Viator or Kiwi Taxi.
E-Sims - purchase an e-sim with Airalo on your phone so you can make calls and have mobile data abroad! There's no need to remove your current sim card!
Car rental - if you're booking a car, I compare prices on Discover Cars.
Travel essentials - have a look at a full list of travel essentials that I use, including the best powerbank!
That's it! I hope you find this useful and I'd love to see your pictures from when you go.
You might be interested in some of my other Vietnam guides:
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