Hanoi! It seems like autumn has come...

“Suddenly I recognized the scent of guava Blowing in the cold wind The mist lingered through the alley It seemed like autumn had come” (Excerpt from Autumn – Huu Thinh)

In October, the bright sunny mornings are no more, Hanoi - the thousand-year-old city - suddenly immersed in a cool mist announcing the arrival of Autumn.

The cold air rushes in at the beginning of October, the sultry heat of summer gives way to cool, breezy early mornings. When the trees begin to shed their leaves, the cool breeze carries the scent of guava, new green rice, magnolia, fragrant apple, ripe apricot... on the street vendors' carts throughout the streets of Hanoi.

Autumn has definitely come to Hanoi. To enjoy those autumn scents, I don’t have to go out of my way to find them, I just need a ride around the old town, or a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake or West Lake in the evening.

Besides wandering on the streets, stopping by flower and snack stalls, I also got to enjoy the “specialty” of autumn sunshine. The bright yellow sunlight seemed to paint the treetops along the streets. The afternoon sunlight shimmered seductively on the surface of Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake. The autumn sunshine was no longer harsh but soft, and as sweet as honey.

But the most obvious sign is the strong scent of milk flowers on the streets of Nguyen Du, Nguyen Chi Thanh, Trung Hoa, Thuy Khue, Duy Tan... Many people from far away who have never smelled this flower will have a headache, but people who have lived in Hanoi for a long time like me will gradually get used to it. From the end of September to October, from big trees to small trees, from young trees to ancient trees, milk flowers will bloom in clusters of white like snowflakes and give off a strong fragrance. Every day I go to work under the milk flower canopy but only at this time of the year do I recognize the scent of the season.

Different from the hurried rhythm of Summer, Autumn makes Hanoians calm down a bit. In the mild weather of October, people walking on the street are willing to slow down a few steps, a few beats of their bike to enjoy a little more of the scent of the sunny season.

Photo: Vu Minh Quan

Heritage Magazine