Driving slowly in the cool weather of autumn is always one of the most wonderful moments. I can feel the sweet fragrance of hoa sữa (it means milky flower) flying in the wind. At the very first time I "met" the fragrance I did not like it. It was too much for me that I hardly breathed if I stood near to a tree which was blooming. I don’t know when I started to like this kind of flower but it usually gives me special feeling. The sweet smell calms me down if I am angry. It reminds me go more slowly, trying to find where the tree is. If the sweet smell of ngọc lan helps me feel warm, the smell of hoa sữa makes me feel cold, though that is not the cold outside. Hoa sữa always makes me feel a bit sad and lonely. I don’t know why but that’s what I can’t get rid of. I feel as there’s an interstice in my heart that only the fragrance sees and let me know that it is there. Still. I just forget it in my daily life. Even when there are many people around me, I still feel the same. I love the flowers. I love Hanoi in autumn.

I love Hanoi; I love the early cold winter nights with Milk flower’s smell. I hope Milk flowers will be grown more on Hanoi streets. Milk flower is a precious gift that nature gives to us, especially to Hanoi, our beloved capital.