Gloomy atmosphere in Ho Chi Minh City, the "capital" of yellow apricot blossoms.

(NLĐO) - Binh Loi apricot blossom village, with over 500 hectares, sends apricot blossoms to all parts of the country every Lunar New Year...

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake 2025, the streets of Vuon Thom (Binh Loi commune, Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City) are densely packed with stalls displaying and selling apricot blossom trees.

The traditional village of Binh Loi (Binh Chanh district), known for its yellow apricot blossom cultivation, is decorating to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Snake 2025.

According to observations, the buying and selling atmosphere is somewhat sluggish compared to previous years. Many owners of apricot blossom gardens are shaking their heads due to the weather and the prices of apricot blossoms this year.

Mr. Hong Phat (Binh Loi commune) said that every year he goes to Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands such as Dak Lak , Dak Nong, Phan Rang, Phan Thiet…

Visit Ho Chi Minh City, the "capital" of yellow apricot blossoms, during Tet.

"This year's income will be lower than in previous years, partly due to the cold weather causing the flowers to bloom late, not enough for traders to pick up in time. Another reason is that traders sometimes cancel deposits because the apricot blossoms don't have enough flowers, and they have to return the deposit. The economy is difficult, so they're buying less than in previous years. In addition, the amount of apricot blossoms sold is less, so traders are more hesitant to buy," said Mr. Phat.

The apricot blossom garden of Mr. Hong Phat's family.

This year, the number of flowering apricot blossom trees that his family exported was less than one-tenth of the number of leafy apricot blossom trees, even though they sold tens of thousands of leafy apricot blossom trees.

The selection of flowering apricot blossoms is very careful, but the number that traders buy is less than the number of apricot blossoms prepared for Tet. The remaining apricot blossoms with large leaves will require additional care and pruning costs the following year, waiting for the next flowering season.

For gardens located far away, Hong Phat's family has to transport the apricot blossom trees by boat and gather them at Vuon Thom road.

The owner of the apricot blossom garden said that since the pandemic, those who grow apricot blossoms have faced many difficulties, with slow sales. This year, many apricot blossom garden owners are selling their plants themselves because traders are buying less. Some people bring their plants to Vuon Thom street to wait for passing trucks to buy them, but even there, the sales are much lower than in previous years.

"The income of those who cultivate apricot blossom trees has dropped sharply. In previous years, at this time (December 23rd), the income was three times higher than it is now. This year is much quieter than previous years. There are very few trucks coming to pick up apricot blossom trees," said Mr. Phat. According to him, the cost of caring for 1 hectare of small apricot blossom trees is about 70-100 million VND, which only covers the cost of hiring outside labor and purchasing materials. Family members who work there are essentially just "working for meager profits," so if you factor that in, the total cost would be even higher.

"In previous years, small trucks, 5-7 ton trucks, frequented the Vuon Thom road and the canal road. But now there are only 2-3 of them," he said, shaking his head.

Mr. Ut hired people to dig up the apricot blossom trees from the garden and load them onto the truck.

Mr. Ut's apricot blossom garden only sold 180 trees, and at a lower price than the previous year.

Similarly, Mr. Ut's apricot blossom garden (in Binh Loi commune) is not doing much better. Last year, he sold 1,200 apricot blossom trees for 300,000 to 400,000 VND each. This year, he only sold 180 trees at 250,000 VND each. He even covered the cost of digging the trees up from the ground for the traders.

"This year it's cold, so the cotton crop isn't as good as last year. This income isn't enough to cover the investment. We're sure to lose money this year," Mr. Ut confided.

Mr. Bui Van Lai said that in previous years, trucks were parked densely along Vuon Thom Street and the canal road.

Mr. Bui Van Lai (also known as Ti Anh - from Binh Loi commune) is transporting apricot blossom trees from his garden to the canal road for trucks to pick up the goods. In previous years, his 3,000-tree apricot blossom garden would sell between 2,000 and 2,500 trees during Tet (Lunar New Year). However, this year the situation is more difficult. He estimates he still has about 4-5 truckloads to deliver to other provinces. The apricot blossom trees from Mr. Lai's garden are transported from the southern provinces to the northern provinces.

Mr. Lai believes that this year the market in the North needs a lot of apricot blossom trees, and orders should be shipped early. However, the flowers bloomed late this year, so the amount of goods shipped is very small.

Matchmakers are facing many difficulties this year.

"The average price of apricot blossoms is much lower than in previous years. Those who work with apricot blossoms have been exhausted these past few years. Every year, the road to Vuon Thom is always congested with traffic, but this year it's very quiet."

"This year, there are fewer customers. Nine out of ten orchards bloomed late, so the flowers can only be shipped to the South, and only one orchard is able to ship to the North. Costs have gone up, but the selling price is low..." – Mr. Lai lamented.

With rising costs and a weak market, Binh Loi apricot blossom village is experiencing a bleak Tet season.

According to Mr. Lai, due to the difficult economic situation and many people not earning money, selling at high prices is not feasible. The man remarked that this year, people can buy apricot blossom trees for Tet (Lunar New Year) at the same price as a pot of chrysanthemums.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/am-dam-thu-phu-mai-vang-tp-hcm-196250128170558422.htm