Quang Phu Cau Incense Village

Quang Phu Cau in Ung Hoa district has made incense for around a century, and the part visitors come for is the drying: the bamboo cores are dyed pink or red at one end and set out in courtyards in bundles opened into fans, hundreds of them at once, which from above reads as a field of colour. It is a genuine working process, not a display - production runs all year and peaks before Tet, when demand for household and temple incense is highest. It became a photography destination in the late 2010s, and some households now charge for access and set bundles up specifically for the camera.

What you actually see

• Fanned bundles drying in courtyards - dyed pink and red at the base.
• A century-old trade - making incense for households and temples.
• Peak production before Tet - when demand is highest.
• Yards arranged for photographers - a recent addition.

When to go

Year round; the weeks before Tet are busiest. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Some yards now charge and stage the bundles, which is not the same as watching work. The dye and dust are hard on the chest. Households live here and photographing them without asking is not welcome.

Nearby

Perfume Pagoda is south-west; Hanoi is north.