Green rice flakes, ripe star fruit, fragrant persimmons, or yellow chrysanthemums all signal the approaching most beautiful season in the capital.
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| September – the back-to-school season, when the last summer rains fall on the city, bringing with them coolness and freshness, is also when autumn knocks on every corner of Hanoi. Autumn produce also arrives, captivating the hearts of people. |
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| Mentioning Hanoi immediately brings to mind autumn. Those who have been away for a long time, or even tourists visiting briefly, will remember the very essence of autumn in this city. However, Hanoi's autumn isn't fixed on a specific day or month. It's only when you unexpectedly catch the faint scent of milk flower blossoms, wake up one morning to a cool, crisp air, or encounter vendors carrying baskets of sticky rice flakes on the streets that you realize autumn has arrived. |
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| The sấu tree (a type of fruit) is closely associated with the capital city. Those who leave remember sấu not only for the familiar image of tall, leafy trees lining wide streets like Phan Đình Phùng and Hoàng Diệu, but also for the round, beautiful, golden sấu fruits that ripen in autumn. Ripe sấu has a slightly sour, sweet taste, and is absolutely delicious when dipped in chili salt. |
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| Pickled star fruit, candied star fruit, young star fruit soaked in sugar... or another autumnal treat like pickled toad fruit with salt and chili, will surely evoke memories of school days when people secretly ate snacks at the school gate. |
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| It would be a shame to miss out on buying a packet of green rice flakes to offer at the ancestral altar as autumn arrives. Green rice flakes begin to be sold on the sidewalks and in markets from the end of August, with the most famous being those from Vong village (Cau Giay, Hanoi). |
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| The sticky, fragrant rice flakes have a subtly sweet, delicate flavor reminiscent of fresh milk. Traditionally, these rice flakes are wrapped in lotus leaves, giving them a pleasant aroma. Besides the original rice flakes, Hanoi chefs also create many unique dishes such as rice flake sweet soup, rice flake sticky rice, and stir-fried rice flakes, each with its own distinctive flavor. |
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| Also made from young rice flakes, Hanoians have another very refined treat, often appearing in wedding and engagement ceremony offerings - the mung bean-filled young rice flake cake. This small cake, fitting in the palm of your hand, is sweet and fragrant, with a pleasant taste that is neither too rich nor too sweet. |
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| Visitors to Hanoi can find traditional sticky rice cakes on Hang Than street, at the top of the slope, where many long-standing shops are located. |
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| Traditional sticky rice dishes are meticulously prepared and decorated, seemingly unique to the capital city. |
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| Hanoians eat green rice flakes with ripe bananas, dipping each bite into the flakes. The chewy, fragrant texture of the green rice flakes, combined with the sweet, rich flavor of the banana, seems unrelated but complements each other perfectly. |
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| Almost everyone knows this rhyme from their childhood: "The persimmon falls and is smelled by Grandma. Grandma smells it but doesn't eat it." Although not eaten, persimmons still appear in inner-city markets in the autumn, always carrying a strong, pleasant aroma. |
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| Early autumn is also when yellow chrysanthemums begin to bloom, and along the roads around the lake, tiny potted chrysanthemums bring a new look to the city. |
Sitting by the lake, enjoying a hot cup of tea amidst the cool, poetic atmosphere, allows one to experience Hanoi's autumn to the fullest.
According to Ngoisao.net
