Hanoi Red

Hanoi Red is a Capsicum annuum landrace commonly sold under that name in Western seed catalogues and associated with Vietnam. It is described as an upright, cluster-fruiting chilli with very hot heat.

Plants typically reach about 60–75 centimetres in height. Pods are upright and slender, usually around 3–4.5 centimetres long and 6–12 millimetres wide, ripening from green to red. Harvest timing is commonly listed as midseason, around 70–80 days after transplanting.

Hanoi Red is associated with Vietnamese and broader Southeast Asian cooking, where small, upright, hot chillies are commonly used in stir-fries, sauces and fresh preparations. It is valued mainly for heat rather than bulk or sweetness.

Reported heat levels vary widely across sources, with figures ranging roughly from 30,000 to 75,000 SHU and no lab-tested value clearly tied to this exact named line. A single-value estimate of 50000 SHU is used here as a practical midpoint that aligns with most “very hot” descriptions.

The name “Hanoi Red” appears to be used loosely in the seed trade, and some listings blend it with similar small upright Asian chillies. It is best treated as a locally selected type later commercialised rather than a formally defined modern breeding line.