Incense Village Hanoi Tour Review
Quang Phu Cao Incense Village is one of the most famous tourist attractions near Hanoi.
The vibrant fields of red, yellow, and purple incense sticks laid out in the the sun to dry make for incredible content on Instagram and Tiktok.
But does it look like that in real life? And is it worth visiting?
Here’s the truth: don’t believe everything you see on social media.
While the village does have over 100 years of history, it's now more a tourist attraction than anything else.
I had a great time learning about incense production and taking photos at the village, but in full transparency, what you see online is completely different from reality.
In this article, I’ll share a full review of the Incense Village tour that I attended, including detailed directions on how to get there and reflections on what made the trip memorable.
Where Is Quang Phu Cao Incense Village?
This traditional craft village is located in the suburbs of Hanoi approximately 39 kilometers (24 miles) from Old Quarter. It takes about one hour by car depending on traffic.
Address:
QQGQ+P4J, làng hương, Đạo Tú, Ứng Hòa, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam (Google Maps)
Làng Hương Quảng Phú Cầu Official Website
How To Get There
There are three ways to get to Quang Phu Cao Incense Village from Hanoi:
BUS: Take bus 91 from Yen Nghia Bus Station (google maps) to Quang Phu Cao Incense Village. The journey will take an hour and a half and cost you about 12,000 VND ($0.50 USD)
MOTORBIKE/CAR: Take National Road 21B to Provincial Road 429. Just set the GPS in Google Maps and it'll give you more detailed directions!
TAXI/GRAB: You can ask your hotel/hostel to arrange transportation for you, use Grab to call a car or motorbike, or pre-book a ride with Klook. The trip will run you about 800,000 VND ($32 USD) there and back.
My recommendation is to either hire a car or go with a tour group.
Public transportation to Incense Village is unreliable and a huge waste of time. If you're going with two or three additional people, it's definitely worth it to just split a cab.
Alternatively, you can go with a tour group, which is what I opted for. Tours to Incense Village often include visits to other nearby handicraft villages and have all transportation, meals, and entry fees covered.
How To Plan Your Own Trip To Hanoi Incense Village
Incense Village is a quick half-day trip from Hanoi so you can easily plan it for yourself.
I opted for a tour because I felt like having that context and cultural explanation enriched the experience, but if you're short on time or just want to take photographs, then you can visit on your own.
As I mentioned above, the best way to get to Incense Village is by car because transportation via bus can be pretty sporadic.
When To Visit?
Ideally, you want to visit when it's not raining. When it's raining, the vendors have to cover up the incense sticks so that they don't get ruined. There are indoor displays that you can take photos with, but they're not nearly as photogenic as the outdoor ones.
I'd recommend visiting early on a weekday to avoid tourists and the midday heat. The whole trip will take 3-4 hours so you can continue with your Hanoi itinerary by noon.
How Much Does It Cost?
The entrance fee to Incense Village is 50,000 VND ($2 USD) per person (cash only).
Admission includes entrance to the grounds, use of all the photography platforms, and free rein to take as many photos as you'd like. You can also purchase some of their scented or traditional incense sticks for an additional fee.
Incense Village Tour Review
What The Tour Included
The Incense Village tour that I booked was a full day art tour that included visits to three different destinations: Quang Phu Cau Incense Village, Chuong Conical Hat Village, and Ha Thai Bamboo Lacquer.
Ha Thai Bamboo Lacquer
The shuttle bus picked us up from Hanoi Old Quarter and we began our day at Ha Thai Bamboo Lacquer.
We learned a little bit about the company and the process of lacquering bamboo, and then got to experience making lacquer art with crushed egg shells laid out in a pre-set design. I had a lot of fun and if you completed your piece, you could take it home for an additional fee.
Chuong Conical Hat Village
From there, we headed to Chuong Conical Hat Village.
Honestly, I think this was my favorite part of the trip.
We stopped by a woman's home and had family style lunch, eating classic Vietnamese dishes while seated communally on the floor.
After lunch, we got to the main activity: weaving and painting conical bamboo hats.
It was really insightful to experience the process first-hand and we were even able to take our painted hats to go!
But beyond the activity, I think the most heartwarming part was that this woman had clearly invited us into her home and workspace.
This experience gave me a peek into her everyday life taking care of the household and weaving bamboo hats while her kids and cats ran around. It was a great way to connect with the locals and was a truly genuine experience all around.
Incense Village Experience
Taking Photographs For The Gram (If People Still Do That)
The last stop on our tour was Incense Village.
The bus dropped us off on a random street, and it was clear from the get-go that the village was very quiet. We walked about five minutes to the main photography spot and then were given an hour or so to take photos as we pleased.
The area was smaller than I thought and it was separated into an outside and inside section.
The outside featured various designs created with incense including the Vietnamese flag and an incense "flower" field. There were multiple platforms set up around the sides so you could get aerial shots from above. The interior section was a lot more simple with basically a wall of incense and a few laid out on the ground.
We had about 15 people on our tour and it was surprisingly hard to take photographs in the space. A lot of the layouts overlapped and people were almost always accidentally walking into your shot.
Honestly speaking, I feel like this was the most underwhelming portion of the tour.
It was very much an Instagram set-up and while I can appreciate that for what it is, I had hoped that there would be more depth to the experience.
Village Exploration + Factory Tour
After the photographs, we got to walk around the village.
It was peaceful and surprising to see bundles of incense actually just laid out in random areas to dry. I thought it was something they pulled together for the tourists, but it gave me a sense of reassurance to know that this actually is the traditional process.
Our tour guide then took us to this century-old house where we were able to learn about classic Vietnamese architecture and ancestral worship.
Afterwards, we went to the incense factory where our guide gave us a a breakdown of how incense was made and the value that it has in Vietnamese culture. We saw the bamboo chopping machines, the process of rolling and applying the burning paste, the dyeing process, and then of course, the drying process.
I visited in January so they were ramping up production for Tet (Lunar New Year) and it was inspiring to see just how streamlined and hard working everyone was.
When we finished our factory tour, the shuttle bus picked us up and we headed back to Hanoi.
Was It Authentic?
The main photography spot was obviously curated for tourists only but there were bits and pieces of authenticity in the interactions with the locals.
It was apparent that these were family-owned businesses doing their everyday jobs and the experience was just packaged more nicely to appeal to foreigners who wouldn't get to see this side of Vietnam otherwise.
Was It Worth It?
For me, it was worth it.
In today's mass produced world, we often take things for granted and expect them to be factory-made to perfection. But this experience taught me that there are actual people behind these products. They're experts in their field and that's something we should value more.
Additionally, there was a sense of warmth in some of these spaces that I found really precious. Although we couldn't communicate verbally, I felt like there was an authentic exchange in the experience.
Tips For Making The Most Of Your Experience
If you do decide to book a day tour, here are some ways to make the most of your time.
Ask lots of questions. Your tour guide is there as resource so feel free to ask anything you're curious about.
Wear clothes in neutral or white tones for the best photos. The incense is super bright on its own so by wearing something simple, you stand out more as a subject.
Communicate and take turns with your fellow tour-attendees. The space is small but there's plenty of time!
Stay hydrated and bring cash just in case!
I hope this review helped you get a better feel for Incense Village Hanoi and whether or not it's worth the day trip out there.
If you decide that it's not for you, there are plenty of alternative ways to spend that time. For example, escape into the scenic mountains of Ninh Binh, or head to snake village and try 10 different types of traditional snake dishes instead!
If you're about done with your time in Hanoi, hop on an overnight bus to Ha Giang to ride the famously dangerous multi-day motorbike loop! Otherwise, Halong Bay in the east is always a classic destination for first-time visitors.
I hope you enjoy your adventures through Vietnam and feel free to let me know if you have any questions in the comments down below!
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