When the sunshine of May spreads out Hanoi streets and cicada’s sound rumbles on over groves, it is dracontomelum season. In each summer, the sunshine is more blazing and pours the colored amber light all over the streets and lanes in Hanoi. As a date, the Hanoians wait for a familiar fruit, which is called “sấu”. The sound of the name is like that of “xau” word (equivalent to “ugly”), but it is not ugly at all.

Once upon a time, dracontomelum was popular for many usages. It is processed into salted dried fruits, and blended in beverage.

Because of their freshly sour taste, people are “affectionate” toward “sau” in cooking many dishes such as sour lean pork or ribs soup, fish or mussel soup and simmered duck with dracontomelum. In hot weather, many people are satisfied to have a cool dracontomelum drink or a plain water spinach soup with some pressed dracontomelums.

Thousand-year alluvial water sources from Red river contribute to cultivatation of the guava trees yielding sapid guavas in this area. Especially, alluvium land soil along the river (in Long Bien and Gia Lam district) is appropriate to grow guava. So far, Dong Du guava has become a popular specialty in Hanoi and branded in domestic trade market.

In spring, guava buds’ bouquet in the windy atmosphere will make visitors feel comfortable as soon as they go out of Hanoi urban areas. Guavas are ripe in summer, smooth fleshy guavas make landscapes along the river more picturesque. Dong Du guavas have small shape and stem, ripe guavas are brightly green or turns into yellow. Guava cover is traced by many antistatic lines linking stem to the bottom. Dong Du guavas are aromatic and they are crispy even when fully ripe.

Dong Du guavas are available all year round and tourists come to Dong Du in all seasons to appreciate them. Particularly, after continual drizzle days, the guavas are even crispier and sweeter because they are absorbed the warm sun of the Northen Delta area. Thus, the alluvial Red river which offers aroma fruits like Dong Du guava is much lovelier in people’s eye.

Huong Pagoda apricot (Mơ Chùa Hương) is a specialty in Huong Son, My Duc District, Hanoi. Apricots are relatives of prunes. After every winter solstice, apricot flower nearly blossoms. In the end of the second or the third month of lunar calendar, apricots are deliciously riped. Mountainous apricot has some special characters like thick pulp, small seed, sour and lightly acrid taste.

The Huong Pagoda apricot (Mơ Chùa Hương) are categorized into many types based on their shape, color and quality: “Nứa apricot” is succulent and has big and round shape with white color; “Peachy apricot” is big, looks like peach and its top is pointed; “Red dots apricot” having red dots in its cover is not too big; “Soot apricot” has black points in its pod.

Apricot fruit is a special natural gift of Huong Son. You can buy Huong Pagoda apricot (Mơ Chùa Hương) when visit Huong Pagoda or at market, but only at the end of the second or the third month of lunar calendar.

You cannot talk about Hanoi fruits without mentioning popular varieties such as Canh orange, Dien polemo, Quang Ba kumquat, Nhat Tan peach and Xuan Dinh sapoche, which is delicious and sweet in Xuan Dinh district, Hanoi.

Xuan Dinh sapoche (Hông Xiêm Xuân Đỉnh) is shaped like an egg with earthy yellow color. The thin peel covers its aromatic brown yellow juicy pulp. The specially aromatic and sweet fruit leaves ones the soft feelings and faintly redolent aroma. It is not similar to the other types of sapoche that make ones’ tongues uncomfortable. The mature sapoche are picked and ripened in bamboo baskets lined with dried leaves or fabric and covered with a thick layer of cloth. These baskets are put in a room with incense-smoke of frankincense. After 3 days, the sapoche ripen and have distinctive flavor.

You can buy at any market in Hanoi from May (lunar) to September (lunar)

Dien pomelo (Bưởi Diễn) is planted in Phu Dien commune, Tu Liem district, Hanoi. Dien pomelo (Bưởi Diễn) has better quality in Tet holiday than in the eighth month of lunar year season as the other types of pomelo. On this occasion, if you visit the orchard, your eyes will be satisfied with oscillating ripe pomelo fruits with the aroma pervading the air. A Dien pomelo is fairly round and a little bit bigger than an orange. Its rind is smooth and lemon yellow.

Dien pomelo (Bưởi Diễn) has the best taste after being picked off the tree for 2 weeks because at that time, the skin is shrived up but the inside sections are still fresh and sweet. Dien pomelo (Bưởi Diễn) are multiplied and grown in other areas, it has the best quality when harvested in Phu Dien land.

You can buy Dien pomelo (Bưởi Diễn) at any market in Hanoi from November (lunar) to next year Feb

Canh orange (Cam Canh) is a specialty of people in Van Canh commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi. In every spring, Van Canh village is covered with the redness of ripe oranges. They are carried to the yard of communal house in the village for trading. According to the local people, in the past, the oranges were tributed to the King every harvest seasons.

The typical features of Canh orange are the lightly sweet taste, shiny red rind and nice looking. The tree’s average height is about 3 to 6 meters with round and dark green leaves. The planters have secret of cultivation so that the fruit can be fleshy, ripe in the proper time and has nice looking.

The Canh orange has superior quality as grown in the land of Canh village. The pure aroma, lightly sweet taste and orange-red color turning dark red like ripe “Gac” (red melon) makes it unique.

You can buy Canh orange (Cam Canh) at any market in Hanoi from November (lunar) to next year February (lunar)