Green bananas for Tet (Lunar New Year): The best quality ones, priced at 600-700 thousand VND, are still selling out fast.

(Baohatinh.vn) - As the Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) approaches, the market for green bananas in Ha Tinh is heating up. Prices for many types of bananas have increased by 15-20% compared to the same period last year, with beautiful bunches reaching 600-700 thousand dong, yet people are still trying to buy them in time to decorate their fruit platters for Tet.

Green bananas have become an indispensable fruit on the traditional five-fruit platter in Vietnamese families during Tet (Lunar New Year), making them a "hot" item in the market.

The main types of bananas used are honey bananas and royal bananas, which are used for arranging fruit platters for the five-fruit offering ceremony.

Present at Binh Huong market (Tran Phu ward) on the morning of the 27th day of the Lunar New Year, it was easy to see bananas being sold in bunches and clusters along all the stalls. According to the vendors, this year the bananas are mainly imported from the North, and the supply is scarce due to the impact of natural disasters at the end of 2025.





Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh, a small trader at Binh Huong market, said: "The supply of bananas is scarce, so the import price this year is higher than in previous years. Compared to last year, the import price of bananas has increased by about 15-20%, so the selling price is also higher. Sometimes, you can only find a few beautiful bunches from an entire cluster."

The high price of bananas is also a reality in Ha Tinh market. According to surveys, the current price of bananas ranges from 150,000 to 350,000 VND per bunch.

In particular, large, beautiful bunches of bananas with an odd number of fruits can fetch prices as high as 600,000-700,000 VND, yet they are still selling out quickly. According to traditional beliefs, bunches with an odd number of fruits, such as 15, 17, or 19, symbolize fertility and prosperity, hence their significantly higher prices and high demand. However, finding a beautiful bunch of bananas for 600,000-700,000 VND is currently difficult, as most of these have already been pre-ordered by customers.

According to traders, bananas imported from Quang Tri are more expensive than those imported from the North. Mr. Tran Van Nam, a trader from Thach Lac commune, said: “This is the third year I’ve imported bananas to sell, but this year the price difference is quite high. Many banana-growing areas for Tet have been severely affected by storms and heavy rain, so the supply is scarce. Each bunch has increased by 150,000-200,000 VND, not including the increased transportation costs.”

Ms. Hoang Thi Dung (Ha Huy Tap ward) said: "Since the Kitchen God and Stove God ceremony, the price of bananas has been high, and I see it increasing every day. There aren't many beautiful bunches left now. Even though bananas are expensive, to have a complete five-fruit offering for Tet, I still try to choose and buy a bunch for 300,000 VND."



Instead of buying bananas by the bunch, this year, many customers are choosing to buy entire clusters and then select the most beautiful ones themselves. Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Ngoc from Cam Xuyen commune shared: "Based on years of experience, I usually buy the whole cluster and then choose the most beautiful ones to display on the five-fruit offering tray. This allows me to be proactive and avoid being overcharged."

Not only at wholesale markets, but banana prices have also increased at local markets. Nguyen Van Thanh, a banana trader at Cay Market (Thach Ha commune), said: “Currently, we are selling them for around 120,000 - 350,000 VND per bunch, depending on the variety. This year, bananas are scarce, so customers should buy early to get a good bunch.”

At Hoi Market (Cam Xuyen commune), on the morning of the 27th day of the Lunar New Year, the demand for green bananas increased sharply.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (Thien Cam commune) shared: “I went to the market to buy three beautiful bunches of bananas to arrange on the five-fruit offering tray, and the bill came to 800,000 VND. I had to check with several vendors to find out that the prices are generally this high this year. Even so, since it was for the incense offering ceremony, I didn't hesitate too much.”

According to Ms. Ho Thi Van Anh, a fruit vendor at Hoi Market: “Normally, bananas cost only 20-30 thousand dong per bunch. Last year, even during the days leading up to Tet, the price only increased to 50-60 thousand dong per bunch. However, this year the price of bananas has increased unexpectedly, by 50-150 thousand dong per bunch, depending on the quality of each bunch. Even so, the market for this item remains very active, especially in the days before Tet like this.”

People are busy selecting beautiful bunches of bananas that fit their budget to use in Tet celebrations.

According to some vendors, banana prices have fluctuated during holidays over the years, but have never increased as sharply as this year.

Despite rising prices and limited supply compared to previous years, green bananas remain an indispensable choice on the traditional Tet fruit platter for many families. For Vietnamese people, a bunch of green bananas is not only an offering to ancestors but also symbolizes hopes for a prosperous, harmonious, and fortunate new year.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chuoi-xanh-ngay-tet-loai-dep-gia-600-700-nghin-dong-van-chay-hang-post305865.html