Longan has long been known as a speciality of Pho Hien – Hung Yen.  People make many dishes from the fruit, with one of the special treats chesen long nhan (lotus seed and longan sweet soup) – a cool traditional dessert for a warm, sunny day. On scorching hot days, people seek a tranquil space where they can relax, and eat dishes that can help them beat the heat. In today’s journey, we will tour the Red River Delta province of Hung Yen to learn about an extremely cool dessert. The lotus seed and longan sweet soup is combined with the quintessence of summer’s fruits and flowers. If Hung Yen longan is “the King of the Fruits”, the lotus is “the Queen of the Flowers”. And the first ingredient to make the sweet soup is fresh lotus seeds. In Hung Yen some days, you may be lost in a forest of longan. Longans planted in Hung Yen for generations are grown in the rich soil of the Red River. So the longans are sweeter and smell better than others. Ingredients to cook the soup include lotus seeds, longans, cassava powder, sugar, and green beans. The combination of longans with thick pulp and good smell, and the buttery taste of lotus seeds brings an aromatic flavor. Despite not having striking colours or fancy decorations, the traditional dessert still catches curiosity through its purity and refinement. The lotus seed and longan sweet soup not only exists in Hung Yen, but has become a renowned speciality. This soup is a quintessential combination of flavour between heaven and earth, the sweet fragrance of longan together with tasty lotus seeds, which creates a distinct flavour of the countryside.-VNA