With its warm sun and cool breezes, autumn is the best time to visit Vietnam’s capital. Autumn Hanoi not only beautiful romantic with milk flowers, yellow leaves fly, but also a lot of specialties. Ha Noi also has many colorful gifts, attractive people do not forget to forget. Even if you go far, look forward to returning to enjoy the gifts.
Along we look back to the "specialty" of Hanoians has attracted many visitors when come to Vietnam.
1. Cốm - Vòng village
"Cốm" (green sticky rice) is a delicacy that is made only in autumn and cherished by all Vietnamese. For Hanoians, nothing evokes autumn like the taste of young rice from Vong village, the grain so sweetly scented that they left a lasting impression...
Nowadays, thanks to convenient means of transport, many Hanoians send Vong Village’s "Cốm" to their relatives in other parts of the country, and even abroad, as a special gift. By this way, the delicious taste of "Cốm" always stays in the hearts of Hanoians wherever they live. To those who have ever been involved in farming, eating "Cốm" often reminds them of a fresh and fragrant paddy.
2. Palolo Spring Rolls (Chả Rươi)
One of the most popular ragworm dishes in Hanoi is chả rươi. To prepare it, combine rươi and some minced pork, egg, mandarin peel, onion and dill in a bowl, then add fish sauce and mix until the contents are sticky and pliable.
Then heat up a frying pan and add some oil or lard (preferably the latter as it augments the final taste). Shape the ragworm mixture into small pieces measuring half a centimeter or so across, and fry them slowly but thoroughly over low heat.
After the mix turns golden-brown, take it out of the pan and serve while still hot on a plate with a little pepper on top. The dip that accompanies the omelet consists of fish sauce, chili, sugar and lemon juice.
The mandarin peel is a vital ingredient as it removes the last of the ragworms' unpleasant odor, adds to the taste, and makes the dish easier to digest.
3. Guava Dong Du Village
Situated on the bank of the Red River and is consolidated by the rich alluvial land, Dong Du Village, Gia Lam District, Hanoi is famous for its delicious guava which is harvested all year round.
The land in the village is good for different kinds of trees, including guava. Although the guava trees have fruits all the year round, they provide the greatest number of fruits in July and August.
4. Dracontomelon fruits
When the winds of the autumn come is the time dracontomelon fruit is ripening on the streets of Hanoi. Small, round, yellow-ripen fruits are packed with so many memories of those who grew up or lived in the capital.
Seeing ripening dracontomelon fruits, many people immediately think of the fall of Hanoi. The dracontomelon fruits are peeled then sugared or salted are the favorite junk food of many people. In Hanoi, there are many streets with rows of dracontomelon trees, such as Phan Dinh Phung, Tran Phu, Tran Hung Dao... The trees are very high so few people noticed the ripe fruit on the trees.
5. Sapodilla in Xuan Dinh Village
Being imported to Vietnam from Central America a long time ago, sapodilla has become quite popular nowadays in the recent 20 years. This fruit is grown mostly in northern Vietnam, with the shape of an egg and brownish skin. When ripe, the brown and yellow pulp is very juicy and has a molasses-like taste. Sapodilla offers fruit every month of the year, and the place that has the best one is Xuan Dinh, Tu Liem District, Hanoi.
6. Shrimp Cake
From a kind of snacks, shrimp cake now becomes a specialty in Hanoi. There is a road in Hanoi city that called Thanh Nien Road. People when crossing this road want to try some shrimp cakes because this cake became the most famous food in this street.
7. Moon Cake
The moon cake isn’t a street cake as it’s expensive and probably not affordable for many people. In the past or even now the moon cake is always a sweet dream for many kids in Vietnam. Today the moon cake is getting much more expensive, becomes a luxury gift item.
8. Yellow leaves
The fall of yellow leaves is creating a beautiful carpet on many of Hanoi streets like Phan Dinh Phung, Tran Phu and Le Thanh Tong.
9. Milk flowers blossom
Milk flowers are a traditional symbol of Hanoi’s autumn. There're many songs and that mention their charming fragrance. Walking along Hanoi’s streets and besides its lakes, your breath in the beautifully sweet fragrance of Hoa Sua, or Milk Flowers. The streets where milk flower abounds such as Phan Dinh Phung and Hoang Hoa Tham, and the National University’s campus don beautiful cloaks of white when the season of milk flowers returns.
10. Daisy flowers
These days, Hanoi’s streets and flower fields in well-known flower villages are filled with tiny pure-white daisies. In Hanoi, daisy season heralds the arrival of Autumn. On the Autumn, Hanoi’s streets fill with tiny white daisies that quiver in the light breeze, creating quite a beautiful scene. Only blooming for about three weeks in November, this kind of daisy has become precious to many people.
