Summer in the seaside city

I love wandering the streets, not because I crave the hustle and bustle, but because I long for… trees and flowers. Especially in the summer, every street is ablaze with vibrant colors, captivating the heart.

The wide avenue is lined with ornamental trees and bougainvillea in the middle. There are countless bougainvillea flowers in a riot of orange, yellow, red, and white, blooming profusely. They last a long time, enduring for months during the summer. As soon as one flower falls, another takes its place. Therefore, you always see a sea of cheerful blossoms. Whenever you're feeling down, just slow down and admire the flowers, and all your worries will vanish. Why be sad when the flowers are still so vibrant?

There's also an avenue lined with lantana flowers. Lantana flowers are just like bougainvillea; they bloom profusely and last a very long time. From afar, the road looks like a carpet of flowers, a mix of yellow, orange, and red. It's like a magical carpet from a fairy tale. The tiny flowers are densely packed together, hiding the green of the leaves, making it seem as if there are only flowers and no leaves at all. Absolutely beautiful.

Nguyen Tat Thanh Boulevard leading to Doi Duong is my favorite road, because this season it's filled with the intoxicating scent of frangipani flowers. Every early morning, the fragrance permeates the air with a captivating aroma. Driving slowly, inhaling the delicate scent of the flowers, feeling the cool morning air, my soul feels cleansed of worries and anxieties. The sea breeze blows gently, tossing my hair back. Parking my motorbike in a corner of the park, I walk along the rows of frangipani trees, inhaling deeply the refreshing scent of nature. Only then do I truly appreciate the delight of a crisp morning. No wonder so many people exercise in this park every morning.

So captivated by the scent of frangipani flowers, I picked some fallen blossoms and brought them home. I placed them in a porcelain dish in the living room, and the fragrance lingered for days before fading. This enchanting scent is so captivating that it's no wonder the musician Hoang Phuong was inspired to write songs that have charmed generations: "Night after night I smell the fragrance, the scent of frangipani flowers from her house, the strong scent of love, calling out her name" (Frangipani Flowers from Her House).

There are small streets, not very wide, but lined with vibrant yellow osaka flowers. In the middle of the flowering season, the entire neighborhood is magnificently decorated with countless yellow flower garlands swaying in the wind. It's as if the whole neighborhood has been covered in gold. Strangely, after a rain shower, the flowers become even more intensely yellow, as if the summer rain has further enhanced their color.

Osaka flowers bloom profusely for quite a long time. Although not as fragrant as frangipani, people prefer to plant them because they are prolific bloomers, with flowers hanging down in dreamy clusters. No wonder girls love taking selfies under osa trees. Dreamy eyes, a subtle smile—how could anyone's heart not be captivated? The person smiles. The flowers smile. The scene is ablaze with the warm colors of summer. No wonder this flower is also called the queen of flowers.

Some streets are particularly fond of planting golden bellflowers. Every house has one in front. This type of tree blooms year-round, producing an abundance of flowers that are as vibrant yellow as Osaka bellflowers, blooming in large clusters that cover the entire tree in a dazzling golden hue. Along the street, while the houses are still half-asleep, only the flowers are smiling brightly. I waved to the cheerful golden bellflowers, and they swayed back with bright smiles.

Who says cities aren't dreamy? Who says cities are just noisy with traffic? Cities are still very poetic because of the countless vibrant flowers blooming along their avenues, streets, and corners. Don't look at the city during the early morning rush hour or the rush hour and see the crowds and the hurried pace of life. Look at the city in the early morning when the dew still lingers on the leaves, when the flowers have awakened to adorn themselves with their bright colors, and you'll see how truly poetic the city is. Look at the city in the mornings when elderly people enthusiastically exercise, young people in sporty clothes play volleyball under the trees, and boys are passionately skateboarding… to see a city full of life.

And look at the city in the early mornings, before the streetlights have even gone out, when sanitation workers have already begun their day's work, keeping the streets clean and beautiful. Look at the environmental workers watering the plants, pulling weeds, and trimming branches to keep the streets full of flowers and the green of trees. Look at the city in those special moments to appreciate the hard work of these unsung heroes, who beautify the city day after day without ever asking for credit.

And every morning, drive slowly along the roads, admire the vibrant colors of the flowers, breathe in their fragrance, and feel the sea breeze to realize how beautiful life still is.

In this seaside city, summer is ablaze with so many colorful flowers…

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