Lilies arrive in the city.

These past few days, the streets in the center of Thai Nguyen province seem gentler thanks to the white blossoms of lilies. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, flower vendors carrying baskets of lilies weave through the familiar streets and market corners, bringing with them a delicate fragrance. When people spot a cart loaded with pristine white flowers on the road, many suddenly realize that the new flower season has arrived.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy (center) selects flowers for a customer.

The allure of simplicity

Lilies, also known as lilies or 백합 (baekhap), are special flowers of the changing seasons. They don't bloom year-round but only appear for a very short period, from the end of March to the beginning of April. Therefore, each lily season brings flower lovers a feeling of both excitement and regret.

Excited to once again admire the delicate white lilies amidst the city streets, yet regretful that this flowering season passes so quickly, like a gentle closing punctuation mark marking the end of spring and the beginning of a vibrant summer. On many city streets, it's not difficult to spot bicycles carrying lilies, their pristine white blossoms standing out against the backdrop of fresh green leaves.

In the early summer sun, that white color becomes even purer, making the whole street seem to light up. Not noisy, not flashy, the trumpet lilies possess a simple beauty but have a very unique charm.

Because of its pure and delicate beauty, the lily has been favored by many artists and incorporated into poetry, painting, and music , and has long been considered "the flower that heralds summer." The flower's fragile white color evokes gentle emotions, moving many poets and inspiring them to express their feelings through verses.

The white lily flower, left unfinished, evokes a sense of longing.

The one who carries the seasons through every small street.

Afraid the flower bud will bloom quickly and wither just as fast…

Those verses evoke the image of a season of flowers arriving very gently, yet also passing by quickly, like a fragile memory lingering on every street corner.

Beyond poetry, the lily has also become a source of inspiration in painting. When creating the painting "Girl with Lilies ," the artist To Ngoc Van probably never imagined that his work would become a special landmark of Vietnamese painting, enduring through the ages.

In the painting, the image of a gentle young woman beside lilies appears both pure and serene. The talented artist seems to have captured the "essence" of both the girl and the flowers. As a result, through generations, when viewers stand before this work, they are not only moved by the beauty of a face or a flower, but also feel the subtle culture of flower appreciation that has long existed in Vietnamese life.

A lingering feeling with every flowering season.

The pure white color of the lily flower.

For flower vendors, lily season is also a busier time of year. At Thai market, even though it's only the beginning of the season, many bunches of lilies are being imported to meet the demand of the people.

Gently rearranging the flower stems in the container, Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, a vendor at Thai Market, softly said: "During the season, I sell quite a lot of lilies in a day. Some days, I sell almost all the flowers I bring to the market by noon. People like to buy them to display in their homes because the white color is very beautiful and they have a gentle fragrance."

"Many regular customers come to the stall during the season and ask when we'll be importing more flowers if we don't see any in stock. Our customers are very diverse. Some buy a few flowers to put on their desks, others buy large bouquets to decorate their homes. Many also buy flowers for photos or to give to friends and relatives as a way to preserve the beauty of lilies," added Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy.

Lilies don't have a strong fragrance or striking colors, but their white blossoms and yellow stamens create a pure and peaceful beauty. For many young people, lily season is also a time for emotionally evocative photoshoots. When flower vendors appear on the streets, many stop to take pictures, capturing the gentle moments of the flowering season.

Chu Hoa Thien, from Phan Dinh Phung ward, said: "I find the white lilies very pure and gentle. Every flowering season, many young people like to take photos with them because the resulting images are so pristine. Just a small bouquet of lilies can create a very distinctive picture. Photos with lilies often have a unique beauty: gentle, simple, and full of poetry. The white color of the flowers blends with the early summer sunlight in familiar street corners, creating images that evoke a sense of peace."

Not only found on the streets, lilies also follow buyers into the homes of many families. A vase of lilies placed on a tea table, by the window, or in a corner of the living room is enough to make the house feel more serene. For Ms. Nguyen Khanh Ly from Tich Luong ward, arranging lilies when the flowering season arrives has become a habit.

Buying lilies to display in her home is a favorite pastime of Ms. Nguyen Khanh Ly.

Ms. Nguyen Khanh Ly confided: "Every year, whenever I see these flowers for sale on the street, I buy a bunch to put in my house. The flowers have a light, pleasant fragrance, and looking at the white blossoms against the green leaves gives me a strangely peaceful feeling, like bringing a little bit of early summer air into my living space. It helps my soul relax and feel carefree, like strolling through the new sunny days. That's also why I love this flower."

Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, people sometimes overlook the simple beauties around them. But just one passing vendor carrying a basket of lilies seems to slow everything down. People suddenly realize that peace is always present in every street corner, carrying with it gentle emotions. Lilies don't loudly display their colors, nor do they last long, but it is precisely this brevity that makes the flowering season so memorable.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/dat-va-nguoi-thai-nguyen/202603/hoa-loa-ken-ve-pho-cc33346/