For over 50 years, Hang Com Street has been "watching" over Hang Da Market.

Opposite Hang Da market, there's a stall selling sticky rice flakes, which has been there for who knows how long.

"How long have you been selling here? I've seen you since I was a child passing by," I asked. "I moved here over 20 years ago. Before, I was on Duong Thanh Street. In total, it's probably been over 50 years," the vendor replied. "That's quite a long time, isn't it?" "I was 8 years old then, helping my older sister sell sticky rice cakes. After finishing 6th grade, I came here to sell them permanently."

In the sweltering heat of a September afternoon, I wandered around Hang Da market looking for something to eat to satisfy the lingering staleness I'd felt for the past couple of days. The Hang Com stall had no signboards, just a basket covered with lotus leaves jutting out onto the sidewalk, topped with a few dried rice stalks, letting people know what was for sale.

This batch of young rice flakes, from the beginning of the season, is incredibly sweet, chewy, and has a fragrant, milky aroma. The flakes have a delicate, refreshing taste, much like the way people describe or spread rumors about the old Hanoians.

Fresh green rice flakes, with their sapphire-blue color, are neatly arranged within lotus leaves—the veins still green, but the leaves themselves slightly yellowing—and then wrapped in a dry straw. The essence of the harvest and the land is encapsulated in the palm of your hand.

"So, what time do you start selling each day?" "I prepare from 5 a.m., open at 6 a.m., and sell continuously until 6 p.m." "How much do you sell each day?" "Not much at all. In the past, people used to buy one or two kilograms. Now they only buy a few hundred grams to snack on."

In old Hanoi, green rice flakes (Cốm) were a breakfast food, an afternoon snack, or a dessert after meals. Back then, Cốm was also used as a gift or for ceremonial occasions. When a young couple liked each other, the young man would bring Cốm and persimmons as a sign of his desire for a lifelong relationship.

These days, green rice flakes are a delightful snack. Occasionally, I buy a packet of green rice flakes from Hang Da market, head to Hang Bac street for a sidewalk cafe, and while I'm at it, buy some ripe bananas. I leisurely sit and watch the street life go by, and suddenly, the day flies by.

"Are there still many people making Com Vong in our village?" "They've all built houses and businesses, there aren't many left," the vendor sighed. "Besides our family, there are only 5 or 6 other families left making Com."

Green rice flakes are made in two seasons and sold year-round, quietly and steadily alongside the changing times. Even the once bustling Hang Da market is now less lively.

"So, are your children still following in your footsteps selling sticky rice flakes?" "I have four children, two sons and two daughters, and eight grandchildren. But these days, nobody makes sticky rice flakes anymore."

April