Illustration Perhaps, persimmon is a fruit that brings mixed emotions. Just tasting one fruit, I feel like I can see the taste of summer and earth suddenly coming. A little bit of spicy mixed with a bit of mild sourness and left behind is a light, numbing sweetness on the tip of the tongue. The most special is the scent of ripe persimmon. When the burden of persimmons passes on the street, it must be very clear to be able to recognize the sweet, slightly pungent fragrance carried in the wind. Red envelopes are not only a gift for our children, but also used by mothers to treat diseases. Every time it was the season of persimmon, my mother carefully separated the seeds, took the peel to dry it, and used it as a dewormer for my brothers and sisters. Once, my brother caught a cold in the rain, so he coughed a lot, my mother bought some yellow rosemary, washed and steamed it with rock sugar for him to eat. Miraculously, my brother stopped coughing immediately. When the persimmons are ripe, my mother often soaks sugar in syrup to drink. The purchased persimmons are washed with boiled water to cool and then left open. When the water was drained, my mother instructed me to use scissors to cut the stalk. My mother often told me that you shouldn’t use your hands to pick it up because it will break the persimmon fruit. The glass vase was washed and dried. My mother sprinkled persimmons in the jar, and covered it with rock sugar. Then, she tied the mouth of the jar to a cool place. When the rock sugar layer dissolves, it can be used as a yellowish water. At noon in the summer, make a glass of sweet and cool persimmon water, we slowly enjoy. Oh my, the characteristic scent of persimmons rushes to the nose, spicy but not too harsh like lemon peel, orange peel. Next is the sour, sweet and cool taste that permeates the taste buds. Interestingly, when using this beverage, we can leisurely watch and enjoy pieces of brown persimmon in a glass of golden water. Because the persimmon season suddenly comes and goes, clever housewives often make jam to save. I still remember, the years I went to school away from home, me and my friends were so happy, competing for breath, cherishing the jam that my mother sent me. We shared each piece of chewy, chewy sugar-matched jam that we missed our homeland dearly. Another season of persimmons has returned. Persimmon fruit evokes nostalgia for children far from home with fond memories. The taste of red skin awakens someone’s beautiful memories of a carefree childhood gift. And… Hanoi streets are full of evocative and evocative burdens of persimmons.

Currently, the red color of ripe lychees has covered the streets of Hanoi. Although the price is still not “comfortable” but Hanoi people still love it and don’t stop asking to buy it. The price of fresh lychees on the Hanoi market is ranging from 35,000 VND to 50,000 VND/kg. The freshest lychee is tied in bunches of about 2-3kg and often the seller does not agree to tear it apart. Thus, to enjoy, customers must spend at least 100,000 VND. Hoa (Mai Dong market) carefully wraps fresh lychees with wet towels to keep them fresh. A small trader in the area of ​​So crossroads (Thanh Xuan District) said that on these days, he sells half a kilo of fresh lychees every day. The fresh Thanh Ha lychees are sold by this small merchant by weight, for 35,000/kg. Fresh litchi on this occasion is not really sweet, but it is still popular with many customers with the mentality of wanting to enjoy the early season specialties. It is easy to find fresh lychees at Vinh Ho market (Dong Da district), almost any fruit stall has them. Small traders at this market said that they can sell out 20-30kg of fresh lychees every day. The price of fresh litchi here ranges from 40,000 to 50,000 VND/kg. Ms. Mai, a fruit seller at Vinh Ho market, said she was selling fresh lychees for 50,000 VND/kg and further explained that this price had dropped a lot. Just a few days ago, around the 1st of the fourth lunar month, the price of fresh lychees she sold was about 100,000 VND/kg. While there are many litchi in the local market, in the supermarket, this fruit is not really abundant. Lotte supermarket (Dong Da district) is selling a lot of fruits, but fresh lychees are sparse. A customer said that she had been looking to buy fresh lychees in this supermarket for a long time but could not find them. After asking the help of the supermarket staff, she found the item she needed. But there are only very few fresh lychees among the range of other fruits. Fresh lychees in supermarkets are usually not as fresh as in the market. The supermarket staff explained that due to the wind, the lychee will dry out very quickly, turning a less attractive color. At BigC supermarket (Ha Dong), fresh Thanh Ha lychees are sold for 38,900 VND/kg. The lychees here also quickly turn yellow because they dry quickly when encountering cold air. The less eye-catching color seems to be the reason why fresh lychees in the first season in supermarkets are not as expensive as in the market. Mr. Nguyen Duy Canh, 35 years old, from Thanh Xuan, Hanoi said that he had just bought 3.8kg of fresh lychee at the market for 40,000 VND/kg. Currently, litchi in the market is fresh, easy to find, easy to buy and easy to bargain. Unlike in supermarkets, fresh lychees are hard to find and even if they are found, they lose their freshness. Not only in markets and supermarkets, fresh lychees also appear in many “online markets”. Currently, personal Facebook pages are actively selling and are also interested by many buyers, especially when the epidemic makes customers afraid to go to crowded places and want to buy goods online. On e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Tiki, and Lazada, Thanh Ha litchi also appeared at the beginning of the season. But if you want to buy, customers will have to order up to 7 days in advance, because the quantity of goods is not much.

For the people of Hanoi, summer is not only the season of the brilliant red phoenix, the faithful purple mausoleum or the golden canary flower in a corner of the sky, but also the most brilliant lotus flower season. In the last days of May, on many alleys and street corners of the capital, we can easily see street vendors with all kinds of white lotuses and pink lotuses gently blooming. On the streets of Hanoi such as Lac Long Quan, Thuy Khue, Hoang Hoa Tham, Nguyen Chi Thanh, Phan Dinh Phung … began to see the appearance of pink lotus bouquets both strange and familiar. The early summer lotus has not yet fully bloomed, but it is still shy in the breath of nature, and still has pure pearl-like dew drops on it. Loads of flower vendors roaming the streets are both gentle, rustic and bring the unique nature of Hanoi. In the area of ​​Quang Ba flower market (Tay Ho) lotus also began to be sold a lot. The image of the lotus flower has long been associated with folk songs and proverbs, associated with the life and people of Vietnam in general and the Ha Thanh people in particular. For every child of the capital, the pure beauty of the lotus flower is one of the indispensable wonderful things when summer comes. The lotus season usually lasts until the beginning of September, but the most beautiful and fragrant flower period is from the end of May to the second half of June. Bach Diep lotus (Quan Am lotus) has a darker pink color with many layers of small petals and a mild fragrance. In addition to pink lotus, white lotus is also very popular. White lotus is native to India, lotus pond owners said, if well cared for, the plant can grow to nearly 2 meters, the roots crawl horizontally under the water about 3 meters. Referring to Hanoi lotus, people often refer to West Lake lotus. But West Lake lotus flowers often bloom late, so at this time, the street vendors are usually imported from Tu Liem, Thanh Tri, Thuong Tin… The flower buds are nestled on the green foliage. Lotus has many uses: Lotus petals are used to decorate dishes, while the rhizome (lotus lotus root) can be used to process many delicious dishes such as soups, soups, stir-fries… Stamens are dried. dried and used to make tea. Lotus seeds can be made milk, dried as raw materials, made medicine… For tea marinating, lotus at the beginning of the season is the most quintessential gift that heaven and earth have bestowed on the people of this region. The flowers have just bloomed, hundreds of petals are cupped, entwined when the fragrance is still bold and sweetest. At the beginning of the season, because the lotus has not yet bloomed, the price is quite high, ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 VND/bundle of 10 flowers. Even many bouquets cost up to over 100,000 VND if you want to add a lotus flower. Cars full of lotus flowers roaming the streets attracting a large number of people to see and choose to buy. The scent of lotus, who has missed it, lingers forever.