Traditional flower villages bustling ahead of Tet

Traditional flower villages these days are bustling with activity as Tet Lunar New Year approaches and traders flock from different localities nationwide to choose flowers to sell during Tet.

Farmers in Sa Dec flower village in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap are busy taking care of their flowers and ornamental trees for the Tet Spring Flower markets.

90 percent of the 3,000 flower baskets have been booked and are ready to be transported to Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province. This year, the average wholesale price of mums (a kind of daisy) is VND 80, 000-100,000 a pair; tiger daisy is VND 60, 000 a pair; marigold is VND 60,000 a pair, said flower grower Tran Trung Chanh.

Twin ornamental plants shaped like dragons

Gardeners Pham Huu Cuong and Hoang Thi Dang are also excited after receiving many orders from Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and the central provinces.

Farmer Pham Van Mot of Cho Lach flower village in Ben Tre Province sold 3,000 kumquat trees to traders from Binh Duong Province.

While 500 of the 1,000 yellow apricot trees of grower Le Ngoc Thanh have started to bloom well before the Lunar New Year because of heavy rains and unfavorable weather. However, traders in Binh Duong Province bought the remaining trees at VND 500,000-VND1 million per tree.

According to Bui Thanh Liem, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Cho Lach District, the Cho Lach flower village this year will provide about 6 million flower items. Among them, the yellow apricot and kumquat trees have accounted for 60 percent. Dragon-shaped ornamental plants have attracted a large number of consumers.

Dragon-shaped ornamental plants are a key product of Cho Lach District at VND 5-10 million a pair. A giant 54m long dragon-shaped ornamental plant by artisan Nam Cong from Hung Khanh Trung B Commune sold for more than VND 100 million (over US$4,500).

Flower growers in the central highland provinces are expected to have a good harvest and will be able to meet demands nationwide.

An Phu flower village in Pleiku City in Gia Lai Province, and communes like An Khe, Ayun Pa and Dac Po have recently seen an increase in flower cultivation of various flowers such as lily, rose, daisy, carnation and many more.

Tet seasonal crops of daisy, lily and cymbidium orchids have the lowest purchasing power and are cheaper than last year, in the resort city of Da Lat in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

Wholesale price of daisy is VND 1,000-2,300 a branch; lily is VND 30,000-VND 35,000 a stem.

Da Lat is home to many of the world's most exotic cymbidium orchids, "Queen of orchid" being sought by orchid lovers all over the world, usually full of thousands of orchids at this time of the year.

A branch of cymbidium orchid is sold at VND 800, 000-VND 1.2 million. This year’s price is cheaper by VND 400, 000-VND 500, 000 per branch. Some rare kinds have increased by about 30 percent a branch because of short supply.