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True enjoyment encompasses rules of eating and appreciating food with style, manner, consideration, and distinct characteristics, as in the way the people of Thang Long (Hanoi) used to enjoy themselves. Hanoians in particular, and Vietnamese people in general, possess a refined and elegant style of eating and enjoying themselves.
Although people nowadays tend to follow the latest trends, gradually accepting mass-produced items and thus eroding the unique characteristics of traditional customs, there are still new generations who yearn to revive structured ways of eating and socializing. This is seen as an archaeological excavation and preservation of intangible values, carrying that identity across the globe without being diluted.
Flavor is the interplay of food and ambiance.
I rarely eat snacks myself, and today I was just waiting for a clear day to rush out and find a sweet treat after a series of depressing days with rain and storms. I arrived at the shop on a light rainy afternoon, hastily navigating the winding streets of the old town, taking quite a while to reach it after navigating several stretches of road in one direction. The small, unassuming dessert shop, named Loc Tai, is nestled at 76 Hang Dieu Street. Its storefront is small enough to go unnoticed by passersby, but in reality, it easily catches the eye with its old-fashioned architecture and the colorful display case showcasing various sweets that draw the attention of customers.
The old architecture, with its pagoda-style display cabinet showcasing colorful sweets, draws the eye.
The small, charming dessert shop named Loc Tai is nestled at 76 Hang Dieu Street.
Many people wonder about the appearance of this place, how it has managed to preserve its traditional spirit amidst a chaotic landscape demanding the concrete construction of everything. The owner, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy, shared that she has been selling tea for 24 years, but the tea shop's traditional style was only created about 4 to 5 years ago.
She said that the essence of the old-fashioned style of Hanoi is not only nurtured in the menu, but also in the space and the way she treats her customers. Her husband is a passionate collector of antique Vietnamese items of high age, and he has researched and arranged every corner of the restaurant, resulting in a design that surprises contemporary diners. From essential items like tea bowls to table statues and colorful robes that serve as a backdrop to the muted brown tones, Loc Tai is perhaps unique in that it not only satisfies the stomach but also the eyes.
Whether hot or cold, the tea is served in a white porcelain bowl decorated with blue designs.
The essence of the old-fashioned Hanoi style is not only nurtured in the menu, but also in the ambiance and the way customers are treated.
The shop's menu, which previously only featured traditional sweet soups with black beans, red beans, stir-fried glutinous rice, coconut, tapioca pearls, pomelo blossoms, etc., has now expanded with a few modern recipes to suit current tastes. However, I'm sure that more than half of the customers seated there have ordered traditional options for themselves. This is because local diners appreciate the values that have stayed with them until now. Similarly, when introducing these to international tourists, they often suggest bowls of sweet soup with flavors unique to Vietnam and only found in Hanoi; people tend to be proud of their own distinctive culinary heritage.
Whether hot or cold, the sweet soup is served in white porcelain bowls with blue painted designs. Instead of plastic trays, the owner carefully arranges the dessert on antique trays from a collection. Customers carry their own portions up a narrow staircase to the second floor, where they sit neatly on wicker benches next to a dark brown wooden cupboard, dangling their feet on the old tile floor, leisurely enjoying an afternoon treat. The shop is easily mistaken for a restaurant, but this amusing misunderstanding encourages people to eat the sweet soup in a more serious, slow, and appreciative way, savoring the flavors.
The signature items on the menu include lotus seed and longan sweet soup, longan wrapped in lotus seeds, black sugar pearl tofu pudding, and black bean and jasmine jelly dessert... For cooler days, there's grilled banana sweet soup, hot cassava pudding, or glutinous rice balls in sweet soup.
Customers carry their own food, navigating a narrow staircase to reach the second floor.
A variety of traditional Vietnamese desserts
When young people embrace "tradition"
Besides the older patrons who are connoisseurs of traditional treats, I noticed that the shop has a large number of young customers. Among thousands of juices, ice creams, and bubble teas out there, why do they still choose a "traditional" bowl for an afternoon?
“I’ve lived in Hanoi for a long time, and every time I hear my grandmother recount memories of old Hanoi, it always fascinates me. As a young person whose childhood was filled with Hanoi’s treats, I naturally understand and love traditional delicacies. But what impressed me most about this shop was its ambiance, because it’s quite rare for dessert shops in Hanoi to recreate such an old-fashioned atmosphere,” shared Ms. Duong Ngoc Khanh (Dong Da District).
Young people are still passionate about traditional treats.
When something tangible becomes a value system, it implicitly becomes a measure of the era. Every generation, every age group, has a "past" there, with cupboards, with stoves, with sticky rice, with sweet soup; a return to old feelings, as each person, regardless of age, replenishes emotions that have gradually faded. The sweet, gentle tea is like a little encouragement, that despite life's hardships, everyone deserves to experience the "sweetness" after all their efforts.
Eating snacks or traditional values, even if sometimes diluted or overshadowed, still embodies the fragrance of jasmine and pomelo blossoms, the shimmering light, and the beauty of this city. Hanoi may not be a beautiful city, but it's certainly not ugly. The people of Hanoi are inherently beautiful. The way they appreciate things remains rich and endearing, like a poem full of musicality.
When something tangible becomes a system of values, it implicitly becomes the measure of the era.
