After Typhoon No. 3 Yagi passed, Hanoi streets were littered with fallen trees. Right at the beginning of Phung Hung Street (Hoan Kiem District), there was a large, gnarled banyan tree with hundreds of secondary roots spreading down from above that was knocked down by the fierce winds. Seeing this scene, Ms. Kieu Trang, a daughter of Hanoi, could not help but feel regretful.
Accordingly, the banyan tree is associated with the memories of Ms. Kieu Trang's family. The "banyan tree" has a special name - people around the street call it "Mr. Cuong Vante's banyan tree".
Ms. Kieu Trang said that in 1972, this banyan tree was planted by her father - Mr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong (born in 1940) at the beginning of the alley on Phung Hung street as a birthday gift for his wife. The name "Mr. Cuong Vante's banyan tree" that people in the street called was Mr. Cuong's nickname when he was young.
In fact, the “Mr. Cuong Vante banyan tree” is now 52 years old. Not only does it have significance for Ms. Kieu Trang’s family, it is also closely associated with many people around Phung Hung Street. Over the years, the tree has witnessed countless happy and sad stories, and many scenes of daily life from 1972 to the present.
When hearing the news of the fallen banyan tree, Ms. Kieu Trang said that her parents and family were very sad. Mai Khanh - Mr. Cuong's granddaughter, also shared: "Over the years, the banyan tree has stood like that, my grandparents had children and grandchildren, and when they ran around playing, they could only look at the tree from the bottom up. This time, the banyan tree was lying flat across the road, so we could clearly see how tall and wide the tree's canopy was."
As soon as the rain stopped, Mr. Cuong and his wife returned to visit the banyan tree. Ms. Kieu Trang’s brothers, sisters and grandchildren also picked up fruiting banyan branches and green leaves to bring home and press to preserve family memories.
Not only the decades-old banyan tree on Phung Hung Street, after storm No. 3, many trees around Hanoi streets were broken and felled. There are ancient trees hundreds of years old that hold many memories, making people in and outside the capital regretful.
For example, Phan Dinh Phung Street is known as one of the most beautiful and romantic streets in Hanoi, attracting thousands of visitors to admire and take photos of the daisy and lily seasons... But when the storm passed, a series of trees on Phan Dinh Phung Street fell down, especially the section in front of the Cua Bac relic. The chaotic scene, with broken branches scattered on the street, made many residents and tourists feel heartbroken.
Two of the three sưa trees at the beginning of Tôn Thất Đàm Street, Ba Đình District, were also broken after the storm. This is the corner of the three sưa trees in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters and President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, becoming a beautiful check-in spot every sưa flower blooming season.
On Nha Tho Street, Hoan Kiem District, an ancient banyan tree was also uprooted after the gusts of storm Yagi.
In the old quarter, a large tree on Hang Ca street at the intersection with Cha Ca street has fallen, destroying a corner of an old house. Before being destroyed by natural disasters, this was a familiar check-in spot for young people in Hanoi. Notably, there is a long-standing sandwich shop on the sidewalk.
