Lotus Season at Tinh Tam

In summer, white lotus covers the whole surface of Tịnh Tâm Lake, in the Hue Citadel. The petals look pure in the golden sunlight. The round green leaves, glossy and fresh, touch one another as gently as a whisper.

Long ago, the lake was an imperial garden of the Nguyễn dynasty, a private garden kept for the emperor. The Nguyễn dynasty was Vietnam's last royal dynasty, which reigned from 1802 to 1945. Every summer the white lotus bloomed across the water, and the most beautiful flowers were picked and offered to the emperor. They were not for decoration. They were for scenting tea.

In the old days, people set a little tea inside a lotus flower in the evening. Over one night, the scent of the lotus soaked into every tea leaf. The next morning they brewed a pot. The aroma was faint, delicate and deep, as if the lake itself were quietly present in the cup. This was how the people of Hue drew the beauty of nature into a refined ritual. It was one way Hue kept a part of its soul, quiet and beautiful enough to stir the heart.

A morning of that season comes easily to mind. Mist would still hang over the water. Palace maids would step softly along the grassy bank, each one carefully cupping a flower still wet with dew. The water would ripple, and a scent would drift by. And somewhere inside the palace, the emperor would be waiting for the first cup of lotus tea of the season.

Today the lake still lies in the heart of the Citadel, and the lotus still bloom each summer. The scenery has not changed much. There are no palace maids now and no royal court, only the still surface of the water and the pure white flowers. That is how Hue keeps a part of its soul, quietly and movingly.