Vietnam Colors of life12

1. Colors of life

3. Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, or simply lotus, is an aquatic plant adapted to grow in the flood plains of slow-moving rivers and delta areas. Under favorable circumstances, the seeds of this aquatic perennial may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. Therefore, the plant is regarded as a symbol of longevity. For Buddhists, the way that water slides off lotus petals represents the detachment aspect of their faith, which tells them to let go of lusts, cravings and desires. This is one of the reasons why many statues and images show Buddha sitting on a lotus. Lotus is selected as the national flower of Vietnam because it’s an indispensable part of Vietnamese culture, history and national heritage

5. The Vietnamese has a famous folk poems meaning that “In the pond, nothing’s more beautiful than lotus, the flower of the dawn”. The elegance of the lotus is often cited in the Vietnamese folk songs and poems. To the Vietnamese, lotus is known as an exquisite flower, symbolizes the purity, serenity, commitment and optimism of the future as it is the flower which grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty

6. Lacquer summer lotus

10. Lotus is grown everywhere along the S-shaped strip land of Vietnam. This exquisite flower symbolizes the purity; serenity, commitment and optimism of the future. In addition, these blossoms have long been linked to Buddhism in terms of nobility and pure thoughts. With above meanings, lotus was voted as the Vietnam’s national flower, representing courageous but friendly and open-hearted Vietnamese people

13. The Lotus leaves have self-cleansing properties. Surface has the ability to make water bead off completely and wash off contamination, leaving the leaf clean and dry. Lotus plants have super-hydrophobic surfaces. Water drops that fall onto them bead up and roll off

15. These leaves not only stay dry, but the droplets pick up small particles of dirt as they roll, so that the lotus leaves are even self-cleaning

17. The «lotus effect» refers to self-cleaning properties that are a result of ultrahydrophobicity as exhibited by the leaves of Nelumbo, the lotus flower. Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to the micro- and nanoscopic architecture on the surface, which minimizes the droplet's adhesion to that surface. Ultrahydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties are also found in other plants, such as Tropaeolum (nasturtium), Opuntia (prickly pear), Alchemilla, cane, and also on the wings of certain insects

20. When night falls on Vietnam, the lotus flower closes and sinks, hiding its purity for the night. Then, as the sun rises on a new day, the lotus re-emerges to show its beauty once again – which is why it’s also known as the flower of the dawn

22. One interesting research reported that the lotus has the remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers to within a narrow range just as humans and other warmblooded animals do

25. Early in the morning, elderly ladies push off in their boats to cut the flowers ready for selling later that day

30. 85% of Vietnamese people are Buddhist so when people go to the temple to pray they bring pink lotus with them to show a devotion to Buddha

32. Later in the day, young lovers and groups of girls dressed up along to the ponds for both professional and amateur photo shoots. Enterprising land — or pond — owners have put up bridges jutting out into the ponds and charge for the privilege of taking photos on the bridge or out on small boats among the flowers

33. Girls in white Ao Dai posing with lotus flowers in lotus pond

35. The children also followed their parents to the fields to catch fish and play

36. Farmers across Vietnam have found lotus a profitable alternative crop for rice, especially when their land is unfertilised

40. Lotus is an important ingredient in Vietnamese culture and every part is utilized in both cuisine and medicine Locals can earn hundreds of millions VND each season from selling lotus seeds, 5-7 times higher than selling rice

41. Fresh lotus seeds ready to eat

42. While the lotus flower is used for tea, the young lotus stems are used in salads, stamens are dried and made into an herbal tea, and lotus seeds are eaten raw, dried or boiled

43. Lotus flower tea

44. Lotus tea is part of many festivals and ceremonies in Vietnam. To make it, you enclose tea in the flower to infuse them with the scent. An alternative method is to bake the stamens – the part of the flower that makes pollen – with the tea leaves in an oven. This process is repeated several times to strengthen the flavor

45. Boiled, sliced lotus roots Lotus rhizomes

46. Some popular dishes are lotus root snack, lotus root soup, lotus root salad etc Lotus root has a wide range of health benefits owing to its rich nutritional composition. The benefits include its ability to improve digestion, reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, prevent various forms of cancer, balance mood and relieve depression, increase the blood circulation, and maintain proper enzymatic activity in the body. Knowing that fact, Vietnamese people consider lotus root is a very valuable ingredient when they make the dishes out of it

47. The green leaves are used to wrap delicious dishes like the sticky rice, chicken rice and green rice Vietnamese also use lotus leaves to wrap green young rice com which is eaten as a prized delicate treat in autumn. The leaves impart a unique scent to the soft moist rice

49. Mostly sold in dried, shelled form, the seeds  contain rich contents of protein, B vitamins, and dietary minerals