Grapefruit blossom perfume Hanoi's air

Bicycles carrying the flowers, with their pristine white petals, golden pistils and deep green leaves, waft through Hanoi's streets and alleyways, releasing their enchanting scent. Photos: Ngoc Tu/The Hanoi Times

The flowers are taken home for decoration and can be added to tea or kudzu soup to enhance the flavor with their sweet and seductive scent.

Grapefruit flowers are harvested from over-blooming trees that need to be pruned and their flowers picked to produce a better crop.

A grapefruit flower vendor told The Hanoi Times: "The flower only blooms for two to three weeks. On average, a bunch of grapefruit has a 'lifespan' of five to seven days and is sold by weight, with prices ranging from VND250,000 (US$10) to VND500,000 (US$20) per kilogram."

Grapefruit flowers are harvested from gardens in Hanoi’s neighboring provinces of Hoa Binh, Hung Yen and Ha Nam.

Hanoi's streets are decorated with vendors carrying bunches of grapefruit flowers.

 As the seasons change, the humid weather makes people feel a little uncomfortable. Then the pristine white grapefruit blossoms appear to dispel any gloom with their fabulous aroma.