In early November, the weather in Hanoi turned cold, the sunset went out faster and the daisies began to bloom, signaling the coming of winter.
These days, wandering the streets, if you see a fleet of goods selling daisies, that’s when Hanoi has entered winter. Known as the unique “winter leopard” flower of Ha Thanh land, the nightingale brings a pure and pure beauty and blooms only about two weeks in November.
It seems that this year winter comes early, a few monsoons come from the end of October, making people wear warm clothes earlier.
These days, not only chrysanthemums, florists are also filled with white and pink-purple colors of heather attracting many buyers. If the chrysanthemums at the beginning of the season are about 50,000 – 100,000 VND/bundle, the smaller and more heather flowers cost about 30,000 VND/bundle.
Daisy not only “walks” on the street in flower shops but also appears in many cafes, dotted with winter colors for spaces from ancient to modern. Photo: Trung Nghia
Stepping up the old collective stairs to enter Dinh, an old town cafe by the Hoan Kiem lake, on weekends, there are no customers but a vase of daisies in the familiar corner is indispensable. Like many coffee shops in Hanoi, Dinh never lacks flowers in every season, if summer is lotus, autumn is pink, multicolored chrysanthemums are always at the beginning of winter.
This year’s winter season begins on November 8, Hanoi is gradually putting on darker colors, the sky gradually takes on a characteristic gray color and the trees show signs of withering.
Not as sweltering as summer days, nor as passionate as autumn, with the scent of milk flowers, this year’s winter in the capital began with mild cold spells accompanied by rain but still a few days of sudden sunshine.
Each cold season at the beginning of the season and the dry sunny days mixed in the cool breeze easily make people miss like musician Do Bao: “My Hanoi has cold winters/The streets are empty in the mist/ The footsteps of the people walking are not rushed, the faces are not hard.”
Taking advantage of the times when the sun is up, and after many months of separation, the poetic streets like Phan Dinh Phung, around Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake … have become the dating and photography spots of young people.
Winter comes, the afternoon falls on West Lake faster, the sunsets become less and also turn off early at about 5 pm. But to welcome the east wind in Hanoi, everyone must have taken a car ride around the lake to enjoy a little sunshine at the end of the day and a peaceful space.