HANOI - Bundles of sticky rice still smelling of milk and plump, golden corn cobs are turned into flower vases by many families to beautify their living spaces.
Early Monday morning, seeing a familiar flower shop owner selling bundles of corn and rice with the stems still attached, Ms. Le Hanh, 43 years old, in Ecopark urban area, Hung Yen , immediately placed an order.
With the idea of using the bracts to make the calyx and the corn to make the flower, Ms. Hanh and her sister used knives and chopsticks to bend the corn bracts, but it was not effective. They came up with the idea of using a hair curler to curl them. One person separated the bracts, the other curled them, and it took two hours to finish.
"When placed in a delicate, soft vase, it looks very suitable in the ancient space of my house," said Ms. Hanh.
For rice, she chose a vase with a moderate mouth to place it in and adjust it to spread evenly. The scent of young sticky rice spread throughout the house.
Ms. Thanh Ha, 42 years old, in Nam Tu Liem district also "caught the trend" of bringing crops into her townhouse. She bought corn, separated the stalks and then dried them in a ceramic jar. After a week, the naturally curled stalks looked quite beautiful.
Ripe rice is planted in a jar of water in the yard. "Planting rice and corn dispels nostalgia for the countryside and brings a feeling of a bountiful harvest and prosperity," the homeowner said.
Everyone who comes to her house is surprised and delighted, not expecting that two familiar food crops to Vietnamese people can become decorative flower vases that fit the scene so well.
When Ms. Thu Huong, a 37-year-old teacher in Nam Tu Liem district, finished arranging the corn "flower" vase, her two sons were amazed. Her friends were also very excited.
Ms. Hanh said that she always wanted the agricultural products of the people to not only have economic value but also be able to be transformed into artistic value. "Every time I set foot in the countryside, I see houses hanging bundles of corn at the beginning of the summer, I am very impressed and also want to bring them back to display as decorations in my house, now I have the opportunity to buy them right away," she said.
After planting the corn and rice, Ms. Tran Hanh, 40 years old, felt like she "brought a bumper crop" home.
"The 8x generation like me at that time had poor families, and in my childhood we ate rice mixed with corn, potatoes, and cassava, so now looking at these simple things brings back a whole sky of memories," said the woman from Lang Son, living in Hanoi .
Normally, I like to display vegetables and fruits because they are durable and have their own beauty, so when I saw some people showing off their cornflower vases, Huyen Trang, 35 years old in Bat Trang (Gia Lam) also did the same.
Trang said that if the persimmon vase represents the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere, this corn vase represents the harvest atmosphere. "This is the time of year in the countryside. Putting corn and rice in the vase gives the feeling of bringing the harvest season into the house," she said. To make her corn vase beautiful, Trang tore the corn husks into small pieces, making them look like messy hair.
Not only families, many offices also display corn and rice. Ms. Lan Anh, who works for a real estate company in Thanh Xuan district, said that in recent days she has seen many of her friends display corn and rice instead of imported fruits. On Monday morning at the office, she also saw a vase of young sticky rice displayed at the reception desk.
"Personally, I really like it because it has a strong national identity. Many young employees do not have a hometown, so they are curious and stop to observe. This rice pot is even more fragrant than a normal flower pot," she said.
A dried corn vase can last for months. A rice vase usually lasts for about a week. To make the corn arrangement more beautiful, many people advise not to peel off all the corn husks, but to tear them into small pieces and bend them to make them softer.
For the past two weeks, dozens of people have been selling sticky rice and corn on online markets. A bundle of sticky rice (about one kilogram) costs from 70,000 to 100,000 VND, a bundle of about a dozen corn ears costs from 80,000 to 120,000 VND.
Ms. Thanh Hoa, 45 years old, owner of a shop in Tam Trinh (Hanoi) said that corn and rice are two familiar foods, but this is the first time they are sold in decorative vases, which brings a sense of curiosity. The sale posts always attract buyers. "This is also a way to increase the value of agricultural products," she said.
Ms. Dinh Hue, an online flower seller, said that placing a vase of sticky rice is like bringing the scent of the countryside to the middle of the city, praying for prosperity and abundance. Corn is in its prime harvest season, golden yellow, giving a rustic yet luxurious feeling.
This is one of the flower arrangement trends that many families are responding to. In the hands of many housewives, the corn pots also have a special attraction. "Some people use chopsticks or curling irons, some even dye the corn cobs. The ladies work hard until midnight, sending me pictures of the surprisingly beautiful results," said Ms. Hue.
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