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For travelers in northern Vietnam, the September 2 holiday offers a chance to combine cooler weather with experiences available only at this time of year. Pear orchards are entering harvest season, chestnuts are beginning to ripen, mountain landscapes are turning seasonal colors, while several offshore islands still offer quiet beaches and an unspoiled atmosphere.
Pear season in Hong Thai, Tuyen Quang
Hong Thai is a highland commune with a cool climate throughout the year. Its average temperature is 18.4 degrees Celsius, while humidity ranges from 80% to 86%, earning it comparisons with Sa Pa and Da Lat.
The local climate and soil are particularly suitable for growing the area’s specialty pears. Hong Thai pears are mildly sweet and fragrant, with a crisp texture.
Harvest season begins around mid-August. During the September 2 holiday, visitors can walk through lush orchards, pick ripe pears themselves and enjoy the fruit fresh from the trees.
Hong Thai is about a five-hour drive from Hanoi, making it suitable for a short independent getaway.
Pear season also offers visitors a glimpse into the daily life of Dao Tien ethnic women, who can be seen wearing traditional clothing and carrying woven bamboo baskets into the orchards to harvest fruit and take part in community tourism activities.
Visitors can stay at the Khau Trang community-based cultural tourism village to learn about Dao Tien life and traditions, hunt for clouds, watch the early-morning mist and enjoy the fresh highland air.
Local cuisine is another attraction, with specialties and produce including rice-field carp, local pork, free-range chicken, mountain-grown mustard greens, chayote, fragrant squash and sticky-rice liquor.
Exploring Vinh Thuc and Cai Chien islands in Quang Ninh
Vinh Thuc Island, part of Vinh Thuc Commune in Quang Ninh Province, covers nearly 5,000 hectares. From Mui Ngoc wharf, the crossing takes about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the weather and type of vessel.
The relatively short journey also makes the island more accessible to travelers concerned about seasickness.
Vinh Thuc is regarded as something of a “rough gem,” retaining much of its natural character amid clear blue waters and a peaceful atmosphere far removed from the busier urban life and trade of the former border city of Mong Cai.
The island has long, gently sloping beaches with fine sand and clear, cool water. Dau Dong and Ben Hen are among its best-known stretches of coastline.
One landmark visitors should not miss is Vinh Thuc Lighthouse, built in 1962. It occupies the first position in the chain of more than 90 lighthouses stretching along Vietnam’s S-shaped coastline.
Travelers can also join island residents on fishing trips, go squid fishing or search for small crabs along the shore. Visitors have praised the island’s seafood for being varied, fresh and reasonably priced.
A trip can also combine Vinh Thuc with nearby Cai Chien Island.
Cai Chien features long, white-sand beaches framed by seemingly endless rows of green casuarina trees, including Cai Chien 1, Cai Chien 2 and Dau Rong beaches. The island also has a large area of primary forest that provides habitat for numerous bird and wildlife species.
Other Quang Ninh islands worth considering include Ngoc Vung and Quan Lan. Accommodation should be booked early, however, as room availability on the islands is limited and demand can rise sharply during the September 2 holiday.
Late-season custard apples and chestnut picking in Lang Son
Travelers from Hanoi and neighboring provinces who have less time for a longer journey can head to Luong Van Tri Ward in Lang Son, which includes the former Quang Lac Commune of Lang Son City, for a seasonal chestnut-picking experience.
Chestnuts generally begin ripening in abundance from mid-August, with the season lasting around a month. Thanks to favorable soil and climate, Lang Son chestnuts are large, fragrant and have a soft, floury texture, particularly those grown around Quang Lac.
The experience requires a reasonable level of fitness, as visitors need to climb hills and search beneath trees for fallen chestnuts. Some dexterity is also needed to remove their hard, densely spiked outer shells.
The National Day holiday is also an opportunity to stay in villages such as Quynh Son, Lan Dat and Huu Lung, while experiencing the final weeks of the custard apple harvest.
Visitors can pick sweet, tree-ripened fruit and watch baskets of custard apples being lowered by pulley systems from limestone mountains to the foot of the slopes.
Lang Son custard apples are known for their large size, attractive green skin, thick flesh, relatively few seeds and distinctive sweet fragrance.
For travelers hoping to spend the holiday surrounded by nature rather than large crowds, these seasonal mountain and island destinations offer a quieter way to experience northern Vietnam.
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