Every year when the autumn visit this city, Hanoi seems to take off it cover and turn to a romantic city. Autumn is a time when the soul turns poetic, mesmerized and spellbound by the charisma that autumn bestows on Hanoi.
The sun seems mellowed, fragrances and hints are in the air, lingering like a pleasant aftertaste.
When it all seems like a beautiful dream, we know autumn has stopped by this dear city.
Autumn in Hanoi is a transcendent season. It becomes the muse for poets, musicians and artists, and it becomes the muse that makes everyone’s heart sing.
The weather
When the summer passed, autumn steps in gracefully, bringing cool, gentle breezes and sunlight that sprinkles just the right amount of warmth all around. The sky turns clearer and bluer, trees take on their new coat, red, reddish brown, yellow and other hues, covering Hanoi with a bright shade of autumn.
Hoan Kiem Lake (Sword Lake) and West Lake become more tender than ever. Wandering through the streets of Hanoi in autumn is a lovely experience, watching fallen and falling leaves, feeling the soft breeze and soft warmth of the sunlight, inhaling the peaceful breath of autumn.
In the evening and the night, the famous hoa sua or the milk flower exudes its bewitching fragrance. But be careful, the scent is sometimes so strong that you could feel faint.
Autumn also the time when vendors carrying daisies to all corners, shining like colorful butterflies in the sun. Every color patch in autumn is just strangely lovely and dreamy.
The fruits
Autumn marks its arrival with fruits that are particular to this time of the year, which seemed to be made particularly for this time of the year.
If in summer, young dracontomelons are used to make a syrup for a thirst quenching drink. Now when autumn comess, they are ripe, these are peeled and sugared or salted to make a snack people love. Dracontonmelon is a fruit that reminds people of Hanoi.
From September to October is also the time of ripe persimmons, when the fruit’s skin turns a glossy yellow or orange, and the pulp is crispy and sweet.
Grown in urban areas and usually close to temples, thi is a fruit is similar in shape and color as the persimmon, because they belong to the same plant species. But the thi is not meant to be eaten, because the taste can be quite harsh and bitter if not prepared correctly. Instead, people buy the fruit for its pleasant and fruity smell to place in the house as a natural deodorant. There’s a fairy tale in Vietnamese once sang “Hey thi please fall into my bag, I’ll enjoy your scent not you”
The eats
Apart from the fruits, autumn in Hanoi bring to mind eagerly awaited delicacies like beaten green rice or ragworm and other specialties throughout four seasons that are packed with memories for both old timers and the young.
Com (Green rice flakes)
Com, immature rice kernel roasted over very low heat and pounded into flakes is an essential of autumn here. Its special sweetness and nutty flavor gets further enhanced by the lotus leaf in which it is typically packed. Having this with ripe bananas is a popular combination that is a must-try dish for all newcomers to the capital city.
Today this simple dish has spawned many other popular dishes like com cake with mung bean filling, com sweet soup and com ice cream.
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