Peach blossoms at Cam Gia are revived to welcome Tet.

Returning to Cam Gia peach blossom village (Gia Sang ward) in early 2026, we were surprised to see that many gardens had been restored, with peach branches sprouting tiny, vibrant flower buds.

After two historic floods in September 2024 and October 2025, many peach orchards were submerged, causing heavy damage. However, the villagers remain persistent and determined to revive the peach cultivation profession that has been their livelihood for many years. For the people of Cam Gia, the peach trees are both a source of income and a cherished part of their memories, associated with each spring in their village along the Cau River.

Peach growers in Cam Gia (Gia Sang ward) are stripping leaves and tending to their orchards in preparation for the 2026 Tet season.

Never give up.

Established and developed since the 1990s, Cam Gia peach blossom village currently has about 30 hectares of peach blossom trees to serve the Lunar New Year every year. The October 2025 flood continued to deal a heavy blow to the craft village, with about 70% of the peach blossom area being deeply submerged. According to Mr. Pham Tien Truong, from Group 5, Gia Sang Ward, the extent of damage in the 2025 flood was much more serious than the September 2024 flood.

Many villagers were heartbroken when, just a few days after the floodwaters rose, the peach orchards, which had just begun to flourish after more than a year of care, were destroyed en masse. Many families are facing hardship as their main source of income is disrupted, and their livelihoods and expenses for the year depend heavily on the success of the peach harvest for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Despite the loss of their property and wasted effort, the peach growers told themselves they had to overcome this difficult period. When the floodwaters receded, they quickly set about restoring their orchards, including those that had been their home for 10-20 years.

Mr. Pham Van Phuc, owner of Phuc Hoan peach orchard in Group 5, Gia Sang Ward, said that many households in Groups 5, 6, and 7 had their peach orchards deeply flooded, beyond saving, with losses ranging from 500 to 700 million VND, and some even losing billions of VND. Despite the mounting difficulties, the peach growers in the village have not given up, choosing to cling to their profession as a way to preserve their livelihood and local tradition.

Last year, many peach growers in Cam Gia had to borrow money from banks to restore production, and they still haven't finished repaying their debts. Despite this, they continue to borrow more to invest in restoring damaged peach orchards. With the spirit of "as long as there's a chance, there's a chance," the households are focusing their efforts on caring for about 30% of the salvageable area.

Many technical measures are applied, such as: pumping out waterlogged soil, re-erecting uprooted trees, spraying anti-root rot agents, stimulating new root growth... Each measure is carefully considered by peach growers, based on experience accumulated over many years of dedication to the profession and the soil characteristics of the riverside alluvial land.

In addition, households proactively cleaned up their gardens and bought small peach trees to replace the dead ones. Many households traveled to Lang Son, Cao Bang provinces and the northern highlands of the province to find and buy old peach tree saplings for grafting and propagation.

Despite the high investment costs, with each mature peach tree costing millions of dong, the newly restored peach orchards are not yet ready to generate income for the 2026 Lunar New Year. However, the locals are confident they will see results by the 2027 Lunar New Year, so they are persevering in caring for them.

The peach blossom village is revived.

Many peach growers in Cam Gia proactively stimulate early blooming to meet the demand of flower enthusiasts.

The perseverance of the peach growers has paid off as about 30% of the remaining area is gradually reviving. Wandering through the peach orchards, which are in the process of stripping leaves and sprouting buds, we clearly felt the love for their profession.

Mr. Pham Van Phuc shared: "At this time, work in the village is very busy. My family has about 300 peach trees, so every day we wake up early to strip the leaves and take care of the trees, ensuring that the flowers bloom in time for the 2026 Lunar New Year, with even blooms and vibrant colors."

In every word, Mr. Phuc clearly expressed his determination to restore the peach orchards after the storm and floods. According to him, the floods caused great damage but also brought silt, contributing to enriching the peach orchards along the Cau River, creating favorable conditions for the trees to grow again.

In fact, it's rare to see the peach blossoms in Cam Gia village so abundant and full of buds as this year. Even though there's still more than a month until the 2026 Lunar New Year, many people have already flocked to the peach blossom village to choose trees and place deposits to reserve their blossoms. The buying and selling activity started earlier than usual, bringing renewed enthusiasm to peach growers after a long period of natural disasters. Many customers are willing to spend tens of millions of dong to own beautiful, well-shaped peach blossom trees with many buds.

According to forecasts, from after the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, households will begin bringing peach blossoms to their customers' homes. For restaurants and businesses, the selection and transportation of flowers usually takes place earlier, right from the beginning of the 12th lunar month, so peach growers are focusing on caring for and stimulating the blossoms.

Because most of the peach orchards had to be replanted after the floods, the number of trees saved and flowering this year is not large, and the selling price is slightly higher than in previous years. However, peach growers in Cam Gia say that the price is still kept at a reasonable level so that people can afford to enjoy the flowers during Tet (Lunar New Year), while maintaining a stable market for the village.

This year, the weather is considered favorable for peach blossom growth, neither too cold nor too warm, allowing peach growers to be more proactive in regulating growth and improving the quality of flowers for the market. Despite having just gone through harsh months due to floods, the villagers still have faith in the future of peach blossom cultivation.

In the early days of the year, the northeast monsoon brings a rather deep chill. Watching young men and women posing beside meticulously cared-for ornamental and ancient peach blossom trees, we felt even more strongly the vitality of Cam Gia peach blossom village, a place that still brings the colors of spring and joy to many families after the upheavals caused by natural disasters.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202601/dao-cam-gia-hoi-sinh-don-tet-0aa5d17/