Hanoi in autumn

Throughout the streets of the old town, red flags with yellow stars fluttered in the autumn breeze.

As the flight from Ho Chi Minh City landed at Noi Bai Airport ( Hanoi ), the voice of singer Hong Nhung rang out, clearly singing the lyrics of the song "Remembering Hanoi's Autumn" by the late musician Trinh Cong Son. This made me – someone visiting Hanoi for the first time, or for those who have left their hometowns, and tourists returning to this ancient city in early autumn – feel a sense of nostalgia that is difficult to describe…

The area around the Grand Cathedral is a familiar meeting place not only for young people in Hanoi.

The autumn air in Hanoi is so pleasant, with gentle breezes and a slight chill in the early morning, enough to make visitors from the South want to put on a light jacket. Hanoi's autumn arrives gently, like a long breath from the earth, without noise or haste. Trang, my friend from Hanoi, took me for a stroll through the 36 streets of the Old Quarter, where ancient, moss-covered houses still stand. We walked under the archway of O Quan Chuong Gate, beneath the red flags celebrating National Day on September 2nd and Liberation Day on October 10th. Every street was adorned with fluttering red flags with yellow stars in the autumn breeze. Hanoi's Old Quarter also offers visitors new perspectives and unique experiences in autumn.

The stalls selling puffed rice cakes in front of the Grand Cathedral are always bustling with customers waiting to buy various kinds of cakes made from puffed rice.

Wandering through the Old Quarter in autumn, I saw street vendors selling green rice flakes everywhere. Trang said, "Autumn is the season for green rice flakes. Hanoi's autumn without green rice flakes is like a soulless autumn, and among them, we must mention the green rice flakes from Vong Village, a small village on the outskirts of the city, formerly part of Tu Liem District, now Cau Giay District, Hanoi. Vong Village green rice flakes are famous for their emerald green color, chewy texture, sweet taste, and fragrant aroma of young glutinous rice milk, without any browning. In autumn, these mobile vendors selling green rice flakes reappear on the streets around the Old Quarter, the Grand Cathedral, and Hoan Kiem Lake." Walking along these streets, you see many such vendors. The stalls are simple, but they attract young people with their fragrant, chewy rice flakes wrapped in fresh green leaves.

The article further states: “When the season for making green rice flakes arrives, the entire village of Vòng gathers to pound them, creating a lively atmosphere like a festival. Each tiny grain of green rice flake contains the essence of an entire harvest and the skillful hands of the people of Vòng village, an ancient village famous for its traditional green rice flake making.” Hearing Trang's story, I immediately wanted to try a batch of these sticky, sweet green rice flakes, a testament to the hard work of the makers.

Buying a packet of green rice flakes from a street vendor, wrapped in a layer of taro leaves to keep them from drying out and to prolong their shelf life. The outer layer of lotus leaves, combined with the aroma of the green rice flakes, creates a subtle yet captivating Hanoi autumnal charm. Sitting by Hoan Kiem Lake, savoring each chewy, fragrant grain of green rice flake, accompanied by the cool autumn breeze, I wished time would slow down, allowing me to appreciate the simple things amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Green rice flakes have a unique chewy, sweet, and nutty flavor; although also made from glutinous rice, they are unlike sticky rice.

Trang then took me past the area around the Grand Cathedral, a familiar meeting place not only for Hanoi's young people but also for tourists looking for a truly vibrant corner of Hanoi. On weekends, tourists often come here to enjoy the "most beautiful season of the year." This area is very lively with many lemon tea and coffee shops, plus stalls selling various cakes and sticky rice made from young rice, attracting crowds of people.

We stopped by a nearby stall selling sticky rice with young rice flakes to try more dishes made with young rice flakes. The stall was quite crowded, and we waited a while to buy a 200g packet of sticky rice with young rice flakes for 50,000 VND. Besides that, I also bought young rice flake cakes, sticky rice dumplings, young rice flake mochi... Everything was in high demand.

Enjoying sticky rice with young greens while watching the passersby in the cool weather, and seeing young people checking in in front of the Grand Cathedral, is an experience many tourists enjoy. I told Trang: "It's wonderful to be in Hanoi in the autumn for the first time. I've heard many people talk about Hanoi in the autumn, but sitting and eating sticky rice with young greens in front of the Grand Cathedral in this cool weather really feels different; everything is so peaceful and poetic."

More than just an elegant snack, green rice flakes are also chosen as gifts, a way to share the distinctive flavors of Hanoi's autumn. I returned to the South, bringing with me packages of fresh green rice flakes, as if wanting to linger on those early autumn days in ancient Hanoi. As autumn arrives, the green rice flakes beckon again. I promised Trang that next autumn, I would definitely return to experience more of the gentle, melancholic, and poetic beauty of Hanoi – a place where anyone who walks through it will momentarily slow down to listen to the whispers of autumn.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/ha-noi-mua-thu-401489.html