Counting branches to collect money, orchid arrangers pocket 3 million VND/day

With more than 20 days left until Lunar New Year, flower shops in Ha Tinh city are bustling with customers placing orders. These days, florists are working non-stop, busily preparing flower arrangements according to pre-ordered requests. Most florists are working at full capacity.

Each day, the florists start at 8 a.m. and end at midnight. On peak days, the florists in Ha Tinh city have to work around the clock.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoan, owner of a well-known flower shop in Ha Tinh city, said that her shop employs five professional orchid arrangers (some are seasonal and some work year-round). These orchid arrangers are highly skilled, experienced, have a good sense of aesthetics, and must be able to "keep up with trends."

“For seasonal workers, once the orchids are placed in vases, they are paid 15,000 VND per stem. On average, each worker can arrange about 200 stems per day. Seasonal workers can pocket around 3 million VND per day. As for the shop's employees, the highest-paid worker I pay is 60-70 million VND per month during the peak Tet holiday season,” Ms. Ngoan said.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Bong (residing in Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province) is highly regarded by flower shop owners for his skillful work. He can arrange orchids in many styles according to customer requests. (Photo: Provided)

Mr. Bong said that he has been involved in the fresh flower arranging profession for over 12 years. Recently, he and other florists have been working day and night to meet customer orders on time.

“I work as a florist year-round at a flower shop in Ha Tinh city. Around Tet (Lunar New Year), I arrange phalaenopsis orchids, and the owner provides me with accommodation, meals, and a salary of 60 million VND for the Tet month,” Mr. Bong said.

Ms. Ngoan said: “Currently, we have received orders for orchid arrangements priced at 100 million VND to give as gifts to business partners. A beautiful orchid arrangement isn't necessarily about the number of stems, but about its artistic merit and pleasing arrangement. At our shop, each florist has their own strengths. To create beautiful arrangements, the florist must pour their heart and soul into each petal, striving to satisfy even the most demanding customers.”

Mr. Thanh (residing in Thach Huong commune, Thach Ha district) said: "Arranging phalaenopsis orchids requires care; it's not simply about arranging the branches, but about sketching out the composition and having an artistic flair. The size of each vase depends on the number of branches and the arrangement. People prefer odd numbers, so very few people arrange orchid branches in even numbers."

Ms. Le Thi Huong (owner of a flower shop in Ha Tinh City) said that in order to select skilled florists to meet the demand for flowers during Tet (Lunar New Year), she had to place deposits with them several months in advance.

“With more than 20 days left until Tet (Lunar New Year), our five orchid arrangers have to work around the clock. Learning from previous years' experiences, which showed how difficult it was to recruit florists close to Tet, I had to find them and finalize the deal months in advance. My florists are recruited from many provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Nghe An … and even Ha Tinh,” Ms. Huong said.

This year, at the invitation of a flower shop owner, Mr. Tam (born in 1994, residing in Thua Thien Hue province) went to Ha Tinh to arrange phalaenopsis orchids.

“I was hired by the owner to arrange flowers seasonally and I get paid per product. I count the orchid stems and calculate the price. The shop owner pays 15,000 VND per stem of phalaenopsis orchid. On average, I arrange about 200 stems a day, earning 3 million VND per day,” Tâm said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dem-canh-thu-tien-tho-cam-hoa-lan-ho-diep-bo-tui-3-trieu-dong-ngay-2361107.html