Hanoi streets dazzle as white sua flowers bloom

By Huynh Phuong March 4, 2020 | 11:55 pm PT

White sua flowers (Dalbergia tonkinensis), considered a symbol of March, are blooming in profusion on Hanoi’s streets after starting a bit early this year.

In Hanoi, there are more than 1,400 white sua trees, grown mainly on Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang Hoa Tham, Giang Vo or Thanh Nien streets. The flowers are associated with the transcenden seasons from winter to summer. This year, due to unusual weather, white sua flowers bloom from February, earlier than previous year.

The city has more than 1,400 white sua trees, mainly on Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang Hoa Tham, Giang Vo, and Thanh Nien streets.

The flowers are associated with the change of seasons from winter. This year, they began to bloom in February, earlier than usual.

White sua trees stand out by the iconic Hoan kiem (Sword) Lake. However, they are threatened by habitat loss and overexploitation for timber.

White sua trees along the iconic Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake in Hoan Kiem District, downtown Hanoi.

White sua trees stand quietly at a street corner in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, at the beginning of Ton That Dam Street in Ba Dinh district near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Hanoi is always beautiful at any time of the year, but I prefer the transcedent season when the white sua trees shed their leaves and started blooming white, said photographer Giang Trinh, a Hanoian.

White sua trees in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the beginning of Ton That Dam Street in Ba Dinh District near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

"Hanoi is beautiful at any time of the year, but I prefer when the white sua trees shed their leaves and start blooming white," says Giang Trinh, one of the two authors of this series of photos.

White sua flowers grow in clusters, each with 7-9 mm in, offering a light fragrance for passers-by. Each year, the flowers only blooms once, lasting about a week.For poetics and musicians, sua flowers honor the eternal love of the couple and a sourc of inspiration for their works.

White sua flowers grow in clusters of 7-9 mm and their fragrance can be felt by passers-by below. They only bloom once a year for around a week.

For poets and musicians, sua flowers honor the eternal love of couples and are a source of inspiration for their works.

Sua flowers add the colors for the Bay Mau freshwater lake area in Thong Nhat Park in Hai Ba Trung District.

Sua flowers add color to Bay Mau Lake in Thong Nhat Park in Hai Ba Trung District.

White sua flowers bloom by the yellow walls of Trung Tu dormitory in Dong Da District.

White sua flowers bloom against the yellow walls of Trung Tu apartment complex in Dong Da District.

A local fruit vendor walks under the shades of the white sua trees at Cau Go-Hang Dau crossroad in Hoan Kiem District.

A fruit vendor walks under a white sua tree at the Cau Go-Hang Dau crossroads in Hoan Kiem District.

For Hanoians, white sua flowers have become an endless symbol of the capital and the blooming heralds the coming of the summer. Due to their short lifespan, their beauty provides plenty of inspiration for local photographers.

For Hanoians, white sua flowers have become an enduring symbol of the capital and the coming of summer.

Their beauty provides plenty of inspiration for photographers.

Photos by Giang Trinh and Nguyen Hong Phuoc