Hanoi’s Flower Vendors – The Gentle Charm of autumn

Dung (Emma)
Oct 20
1 min read

When you come to Hanoi, you’ll easily spot women wearing conical hats, their faces half-hidden, only their eyes and gentle smiles showing. They sit quietly by the sidewalk or stand on the street beside an old bicycle carrying a huge basket of fresh flowers.

If you look closely, those flowers tell you what season it is in Hanoi. In summer, it’s the pink lotus season - the symbol of purity and calm. And now, in early autumn, the streets are covered with tiny white daisies - cúc họa mi in Vietnamese. They bloom only for a short time, marking the arrival of Hanoi’s most poetic season. Locals, including us, can never resist stopping to admire or buy a bunch to take a piece of autumn home.

Come visit Hanoi this season, take a walk around West Lake or Phan Dinh Phung Street, and see how a simple bunch of flowers can make you fall in love with the city all over again. 😉