At 2 am, while much of Hanoi is still asleep, Quang Ba Flower Market reaches its busiest hours of the day. Trucks loaded with fresh flowers stream into the market as traders rush to buy and distribute blooms before dawn.
Amid the bright colours and constant movement, growing numbers of foreign tourists are arriving to experience a different side of Hanoi.
Stellio, a French visitor living and working in Hanoi, discovered the market through recommendations from friends.
After nearly a year in the city and visits to many well known attractions, he began searching for places that reflected everyday local life more closely.
“For me, places like this help me understand how the city really operates and how local people live,” he said.
“What impressed me most was seeing a flower market still so busy at 2 am or 3 am. In France, something like this almost does not exist.”
Stellio enjoys the atmosphere of the flower market at night.
Stellio spent hours walking around the market, taking photographs and observing the activity around him, from workers unloading bundles of flowers to buyers carefully selecting individual stems before deliveries departed again ahead of sunrise.
He said the late night visit had become one of his most memorable experiences while living in Hanoi.
Anna, a tourist from Germany, also visited the market after watching social media videos about Hanoi at night.
During her nearly two week trip to Vietnam, she wanted to explore somewhere less crowded with tourists while still reflecting authentic local life. Instead of choosing more familiar attractions, she and a friend decided to visit the market at around 2 am.
Anna said the atmosphere was completely different from what she had imagined.
“Even though it was still dark outside, the whole market was brightly lit. Flower trucks kept arriving and leaving, and people were buying and selling very quickly,” she said.
“In Germany, it is rare to see a market operating this actively at such an hour, so the experience felt both strange and exciting.”
While walking through the market, Anna bought several roses and said she was surprised by both the freshness of the flowers and their low prices.
Flower deliveries continue through the night.
The overnight flower market has also become a popular destination for young Vietnamese visitors.
Mai, a young woman from Bac Ninh Province, came to the market after moving into a new home and wanting to buy flowers to make the space feel warmer.
Because of her busy daytime study schedule, she chose to visit at night.
“What I liked most was not only the variety of flowers but also the atmosphere,” Mai said.
“Trucks constantly move in and out and people never stop working, but the market still feels comfortable and not too chaotic.”
Mai, a visitor from Bac Ninh Province, buys flowers at Quang Ba night market.
A flower vendor who has worked at the market for many years said the period between midnight and dawn remains the busiest trading window.
Flowers grown across Vietnam as well as imported varieties are delivered to the market overnight before being sorted and distributed to shops and traditional markets across the city at first light.
The vendor said the market was not only an important trading hub for Hanoi’s flower industry but had recently attracted increasing numbers of visitors, including many international tourists.
“People do not come here only to buy flowers,” the vendor said.
“They also want to witness Hanoi’s nightlife and experience the city’s rhythm for themselves.”
Traders sort flowers during the night.
According to traders, the growing presence of visitors has not disrupted business operations but has gradually given the market a new identity in a natural way.
Story and photos by An Binh - Nguyet Minh - Minh Nguyet