Romantic Hanoi in Dracontomelon harvest season

Summer in Hanoi is considered the season for harvesting fruits, including the Indochina dragonplum (Dracontomelon duperreanum) or sau in Vietnamese.

The tree is considered a thousand-year-old heritage of Hanoi, thanks to its ability to shade the streets, create beautiful carpets of leaves and flowers, and bear delicious fruit.

Over a century has passed, and the first sau trees remain in Hanoi’s street, standing strong in inclement weather.

Phan Dinh Phung Street, one of the most popular streets in Hanoi, attracts many tourists because it has the widest sidewalks in Hanoi, with two rows of large Dracontomelon trees. Photo: Tu Pham

During the French colonial period in the 19th century, the Indochina dragon plum was widely planted in Hanoi for urban greenery.

The trees line many of Hanoi's streets, such as Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thanh Tong, Hai Ba Trung, Tran Hung Dao, Le Hong Phong, Tran Phu, and others, providing cool shade.

Dracontomelum is considered a "useful tree for hundreds of generations" because of its large canopy to help reduce the heat of Summer and wonderful fruits. Photo: Thuy Linh

When the fruit is still green or already ripe in midsummer, the sau harvesting season begins.

Many adults and children choose the less crowded times of the day to pick the fruit and then gather on the street corners to sell their bounty.

Sau is also a childhood fruit of many generations of Hanoians as the fruit is costless, even offered for free.

The fruit is widely sold on almost every corner of Hanoi's old streets in July and August. Photo: Thuy Linh

Sau is an essential and irreplaceable ingredient of typical Hanoi dishes with its special sour taste.

Also, leaves, flowers, and fruits of sau are medicinal cures for a number of diseases.