Hang Ma Street in Hanoi has no official opening hours: the shops open every day, generally from morning to early evening, and walking the street is free. It is the street of decorations in the Old Quarter: for centuries it has sold votive paper for ancestor worship, then, by season, lanterns and toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival (around 25 September in 2026), red and gold Tet decorations and Christmas garlands. It is free to walk in 15 to 30 minutes (estimate); the atmosphere is strongest in the weeks before a festival. See also: the Old Quarter guide and Dong Xuan Market.
Highlights
The colourful stalls
Star-shaped lanterns, lion masks, toys and garlands cover the narrow shopfronts of the street.
Votive paper
Paper houses, clothes and banknotes burnt for ancestors: a traditional trade of the street for centuries.
The Mid-Autumn season
Lanterns and toys for children; the street is already full in late September.
Christmas and Tet
Red and gold lights and decorations; shopping before the holiday, crowds and small prices to haggle.
Practical info
Tips
- Haggle politely and compare two or three shops before buying. Bulky items travel badly in a cabin bag: choose paper, folding lanterns or small objects. In festival periods the street is very dense: watch bags and phones. Photos of stalls are fine; ask before photographing a person.
How to get there
Hang Ma Street, Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi; about 10 minutes on foot from Hoan Kiem Lake and near Dong Xuan Market.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
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