When mentioning green rice, poetry lovers often immediately remember the essay “A gift of young rice: Green rice” extracted from the collection “Hanoi thirty-six streets” (1943) by Thach Lam. Green rice is a daily, rustic gift, full of traditional flavor.
Different from the Northwestern green rice which is often made into green rice, green rice sticky rice..., green rice in Hanoi is transformed into many rich dishes such as green rice sticky rice with lotus seeds and green beans, green rice sausage, stir-fried green rice...
At small, pretty cafes near the Cathedral or familiar street corners, Hanoi green rice is becoming an indispensable part of the menu. The combination of green rice - the symbol of Hanoi's autumn - with glasses of lemon tea, kumquat tea or egg coffee... brings a unique culinary experience, full of tradition but also full of novelty for young people.
Many coffee shops and lemon tea shops in Hanoi have quickly caught up with the trend. Shops have added green rice flakes, sticky rice flakes or stir-fried green rice flakes to their menus, typical of Hanoi’s autumn.
Ms. Huong, the owner of a small coffee shop near the Great Church, shared: “At first, I just thought of simply serving regular drinks like lemon tea and coffee. But when I saw many customers buying green rice from nearby street vendors, I came up with the idea of adding green rice to the menu.”
Many shops also sell green rice cakes, and even mix drinks like green rice coconut smoothies, matcha green rice coconut smoothies... These combinations not only enrich the menu but also make customers, especially young people, feel more excited.
Minh Anh, a student who regularly visits coffee shops around the Cathedral, shared: “Every time after school, I invite my friends to sit here. The refreshing taste of lemon tea combined with green rice creates a very relaxing feeling.”
Phuong Linh, a regular customer at a coffee shop in the area of the Great Church, added: “I really like the space here, both ancient and modern. Every time we gather with friends, we often choose green rice and lemon tea to enjoy.”
Anh Quan, the owner of a coffee shop in the area, said: “Selling green rice flakes not only increases revenue but also brings cultural value to the shop. When we introduce it to customers, especially young people or tourists, they feel like they are enjoying a very special part of the city.”
