As Tet approaches, gardeners in Thoi An anxiously await the flowers to bloom on time.

As Tet approaches, Thoi An flower village (Ho Chi Minh City) is bustling with activity as it enters the peak season for Tet flowers. However, behind the blossoming flowers lies the constant worry of flower growers: unpredictable weather, rising input costs, and slow market demand, making this year's Tet season fraught with potential concerns.

Amidst the scorching sun of the year-end days, the road leading to Thoi An flower village ( Ho Chi Minh City) is ablaze with the vibrant colors of marigolds, cockscomb, and many other Tet flowers that are budding. However, contrary to the lively display of flowers, many gardeners are still worried that the buds won't bloom in time for Tet.

Potted flowers display their vibrant colors at the large flower village in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sitting on a chair holding a water pipe to help her nearly 80-year-old husband water the flowers under the midday sun, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Cuc told a reporter from the News and Ethnic Groups Newspaper that at 70, her health has declined, and she suffers from many illnesses. She can no longer move around freely or work continuously as before, mainly assisting her husband in taking care of the flower garden on-site. "Looking at this year's Tet flower garden, I can't help but worry," Mrs. Cuc shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc (70 years old), the owner of a flower garden in Thoi An flower village, helps her husband water and care for the flowers.

Mrs. Cúc's husband, despite being nearly 80 years old, has been involved in growing flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year) for the past 30 years.

According to Ms. Cúc, having been involved in flower cultivation for nearly 30 years, she can assess the plant's growth and know when to water and reduce fertilizer just by looking at it. However, she believes that even years of experience are insufficient to cope with this year's unpredictable weather.

Mrs. Cúc sat in a chair, helping her husband pull the hose to water the plants under the scorching midday sun.

"This year the weather is very strange, much more unpredictable than in previous years. When we first planted the seedlings, it was cold and rainy for a long time, slowing down their growth and making them susceptible to disease. Then, when they needed sunshine for the flowers to bloom, the weather turned cool. If the flowers don't bloom in time for Tet, it's considered a crop failure," Mrs. Cuc shared.

Furthermore, according to Ms. Cúc, prolonged unseasonal rains cause water to accumulate in the pots, affecting the root system. The plants don't die completely, but their growth is stunted, and the flowers are small or bloom late. According to experienced flower growers, the biggest risk is that the flowers don't bloom at the right time for Tet (Lunar New Year), because even a few days' delay can significantly reduce the selling price.

Some gardeners in Thoi An load flowers onto trucks for delivery to wholesale customers.

"This year, due to declining health, my husband and I proactively reduced production to about 2,800 pots, much lower than before. We no longer have the strength to work as much as we used to, but we can't bring ourselves to give up the profession because it's been our whole life," Mrs. Cúc said.

A distinctive feature of Ms. Cúc's flower garden is her traditional cultivation methods. She limits the use of chemical fertilizers, primarily using composted cow manure combined with peanut oil cake. According to her, this method is more labor-intensive but helps the flowers have richer colors, thicker petals, and longer lasting beauty during Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Many regular customers still come to order because they appreciate the flowers' longevity.

According to gardeners in Thoi An flower village, most of their produce is for retail sale, with only a small portion sold wholesale to regular customers.

However, Ms. Cúc admitted that farming techniques could hardly compensate for the disadvantages caused by the weather. Looking at the flowers that are entering their growth phase, she still cannot predict the success of this year's Tet season. She and her husband plan to sell a portion wholesale to recover their capital, and sell the rest at the Tet market retail. This method requires more time and constant monitoring, but the selling price is more stable, helping flower growers to recoup their costs.

Not far from Mrs. Cúc's garden, Mrs. Kim Lan, the owner of another flower garden, was also busy watering the potted flowers ready for sale. This year's Tet season, her family planted about 5 "thousands," equivalent to 5,000 potted flowers; the large scale means higher costs and risks.

Ms. Kim Lan took advantage of the prolonged hot weather to water her flowers.

Ms. Lan said that erratic weather increases the mortality rate: "After the rain comes intense sunshine, the roots don't have time to adapt, so the plants easily weaken. Sometimes we have to discard hundreds of pots. Growing flowers for Tet requires investment months in advance and continuous care, but the results still depend heavily on weather conditions."

In addition, rising input costs are putting more pressure on flower growers. The prices of fertilizers, pesticides, plastic pots, and labor have all increased compared to before, while selling prices are difficult to adjust accordingly because they depend on market demand. "If we raise prices too high, traders will be hesitant to buy, and customers will also think twice. Therefore, sometimes the profit is not high, but we still have to sell to recover our capital," Ms. Lan shared.

For many years, Thoi An flower village has primarily cultivated flowers on land borrowed from undeveloped projects. Utilizing this temporary land has helped residents maintain production, but it also raises concerns about long-term stability. For many households, flower cultivation remains their primary source of income, and switching to other occupations is not easy.

Flower garden owners in Thoi An say that this year some households have temporarily stopped growing flowers for Tet, and currently only a few households in the flower village are still growing flowers for Tet.

At this time, some flower growers have started transporting flowers to selling points such as Gia Dinh Park, Le Duc Tho Street, and the Go Vap Flower Village Park area… However, observations show that early purchasing is still slow. Many flower stalls are neatly arranged, but the number of customers coming to view and place orders is not yet large.

According to a small business owner, the general consumer sentiment is to wait until closer to Tet (Lunar New Year) to buy flowers so they last longer and have more price options. The market usually becomes bustling from around the 27th or 28th of the 12th lunar month onwards. This forces flower growers to extend their waiting time, while also incurring additional costs for care and maintenance.

According to observations, the demand for flowers at sales points in Ho Chi Minh City is currently slower than in previous years.

Even before the flowers have a chance to bloom, worries about the weather and the market still weigh heavily on flower growers. Each potted flower at this time is not only cared for with experience but also with careful anticipation and planning for each day leading up to Tet.

Despite the uncertainties, the gardeners in Thoi An quietly tend to their gardens, watering, shaping, and monitoring each cycle of sun and rain. They believe that when the city enters its year-end shopping season, the flowers from this suburban area will be ready to accompany the crowds home, bringing with them the breath of spring.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/can-tet-nha-vuon-thoi-an-thap-thom-cho-hoa-no-dung-vu-20260210125032785.htm