Lotus is the national flower of Vietnam. It is a welcome sign of summer, growing in muddy lakes but carrying a pure and beautiful fragrant. Lotus is also an important symbol in Buddhism as the seat of Buddha.
Lotus has a large variety of uses in Vietnamese culture: the stamens can be dried and made into a fragrant herbal tea called lotus tea, the seeds can be made into sweets or desserts, rootlets are widely used in Vietnamese dishes with their crunchy texture and sweet-tangy flavor, large leaves are used to wrap food, and the flowers make a beautiful sight in many houses and shops.
