The first time seeing Vietnamese people harvesting lotus flowers, American tourists were overwhelmed.

During a recent trip to Vietnam, American tourist Jess McHugh had the opportunity to visit the Mekong Delta to learn about the lives of local people. This was also the first time the guest witnessed how water lilies are harvested in the river region.

“In the Mekong Delta, lotus flowers are abundant. At this time, farmers here are busy harvesting lotus flowers.

Beautiful moments become attractive subjects for photographers. Water lilies are also a main product in some tours to the West,” Jess shared. The Western tourist also said that she was overwhelmed when immersed in the beautiful scenery in the West, Vietnam.

Women harvest lotus flowers in Tan Lap commune (Photo: George Steinmetz).

In the West, visitors can see lotus flowers in many places such as Tra Su cajuput forest, rice fields in Long An ...

During the period from September to November, women in the West wake up early at dawn and harvest water lilies during a certain period. This is the plant with the most miraculous vitality in this land. Water lilies grow wild, do not need care but still grow well.

Every time the lotus flowers bloom, the locals happily go out to harvest them. Along with aquatic resources, during the flood season, lotus flowers are a product that helps people improve their lives.

During the flood season, when lotus flowers bloom, it is also the time to attract tourists to take pictures and experience (Photo: George Steinmetz).

Under the skillful hands of the women, each bunch of water lilies is rolled up, washed clean of mud, then arranged into bundles and loaded onto boats or small boats. Although water lilies are grown year-round, the most blooming time is in the fall. Each flower only blooms for a few hours a day for 3 to 5 days before withering.

The scene of harvesting water lilies not only attracts tourists and photographers to work, this flower is also an important part of the daily life of people living in the river area. They can be used to decorate houses or processed into daily dishes.

Water lilies bloom during the day and their bloom time only lasts a few hours (Photo: George Steinmetz).

The diligence of Western housewives has turned water lilies into countless delicious dishes. After removing the flowers, the stems of the plants are kept for stir-frying, cooking sour soup, and mixing salads.

The most famous dish is lotus flower with fish sauce, a specialty in An Giang and Dong Thap during the flood season. Another rustic dish is sour lotus flower soup with sesban flowers and linh fish, which also goes well with rice and is loved by many diners.

Sweet and sour lotus salad is a rustic dish in the Mekong Delta (Photo: Food).

For his part, Jess McHugh said that the trip to the West yielded many impressive moments. One of them was admiring the water lily harvest scene.

According to some travel agencies, the flood season in the West from September to November every year is the time when water from upstream flows to downstream, creating the typical landscape of the provinces and cities.

This is also the peak tourist season for the locality in the Mekong Delta.

Some of the tour’s outstanding services include a cruise along the Mekong River to experience the ecosystem in the Western provinces. Tour prices start from tens of millions of VND. The main segment of this tour is European guests.

Cuisine of the river region is also one of the reasons attracting tourists to the West.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/lan-dau-thay-canh-nguoi-viet-nam-thu-hoach-hoa-sung-khach-my-choang-ngop-20241120123729880.htm