March is the time when some sections of the Mekong Delta are flooded with the color of the pink shower tree (Cassia bakeriana), or o moi in Vietnamese. Rows of this tree are easily seen lining either side of streets, at the entrance of schools or by water bodies in Dong Thap, An Giang, Vinh Long provinces and Can Tho City.
Being deciduous, the pink shower tree bears its first flowers soon after all its leaves have fallen. Some say the flowers look like a kind of Japan’s well-known cherry blossom. As an ornamental plant, the pink shower tree also gives fruits that are worth a try.
By Le Hoang Vu
