Keeping the orchid-making tradition alive amidst the storm of urbanization.

For over three decades, orchid growers in Dong La (An Khanh commune) have transformed a refined hobby into a livelihood supporting hundreds of families. However, with the arrival of urbanization, orchid cultivation is facing significant survival challenges.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Phung stands beside an orchid plant grown in his own garden. Photo: Provided by the subject .

One May morning in 2026, the orchid garden of Mr. Nguyen Kim Phung, Chairman of the Dong La Orchid Club (An Khanh commune), was filled with the gentle sound of wind and the soothing scent of flowers. Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis orchids hung suspended on iron frames, their pristine white petals swaying in the early morning sun. But below, the space was much smaller than before. Mr. Phung chuckled, "If I were to start growing orchids, I'd have been doing it since I was in my mother's womb." That witty remark held a whole history.

The craft takes root in the Truong Son forest.

In the early 1990s, some veterans who had fought in the Trường Sơn forest brought the first wild orchid plants to Đông La. Phụng's mother was one of those pioneers. Initially, the orchid trellises were built with bamboo and soil, later replaced with concrete posts and then iron pipes as they are today. Each upgrade further solidified the orchid cultivation tradition in Đông La.

What started as a hobby for a small group gradually spread. At its peak, the former Dong La commune had about 300 households involved in growing and trading orchids, with Dong Nhan village alone having over 130 orchid gardens. The market stretched throughout the country, and even exported abroad. Mr. Ta Cong Thieng, Vice Chairman of the club, who has been involved in the profession for over 30 years, calculated: "It's impossible to give an exact figure, but if you compare the income from growing crops on one sao (approximately 1000 square meters) with that from growing orchids, the income is dozens of times higher. If you love orchids, you certainly wouldn't be poor now."

The period from 2018 to 2020 was the "golden age" of orchid cultivation nationwide, but it was also a period that tested the mettle of orchid growers in Dong La. A wave of "mutant orchids" swept through, driving the prices of many species up to tens or even hundreds of millions of dong per pot. Money poured into this risky venture from all over.

But from the end of 2020, the "bubble" burst. A series of inexperienced investors lost everything. These were people who simply saved up a few hundred million dong to buy one or two expensive orchid pots and entrusted them to nurseries for safekeeping. When prices plummeted, their entire investment vanished into thin air. This is a common picture in many orchid-growing regions across the country.

However, in Dong La, the story is different. "Here, most people in the gardening association are not affected by the mutated orchids," said Mr. Phung Cong Thieng. According to Mr. Thieng, the secret lies in the fact that people in Dong La enter the mutated orchid market in moderation. They buy small quantities, cultivate them gradually, and sell them to recoup their investment, rather than being greedy. Meanwhile, most of the households that suffered heavy losses were outsiders who bought in because of high prices without understanding the plant's characteristics.

Mr. Thieng analyzed: "Looking at the general situation, many people have become rich thanks to mutated orchids. However, there have also been some losses. It's a rule that for every winner, there's a loser. We just consider it a game. Traditional orchid cultivation is our real profession." This simple yet profound philosophy helped Dong La orchid village weather the storm without a single garden collapsing.

Leaders of An Khánh commune visit an orchid garden in Đông La. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Concerns about finding suitable premises and the struggle to preserve the craft.

While the surge in orchid mutations may only be a temporary challenge, the land acquisition problem remains an unsolved dilemma for orchid growers in Dong La. In just the last few years, the pace of urbanization in An Khanh commune has accelerated, with numerous urban infrastructure projects being implemented. The land of dozens of orchid-growing households has been subject to expropriation for these projects. The combined land lost by Mr. Phung and Mr. Thieng's families alone amounts to thousands of square meters.

The money spent on buying land for the garden, investing in the garden house, and many other expenses suddenly vanished. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest worry for orchid growers in Dong La is finding alternative land to sustain their profession. Many have to improvise by renting riverside land or temporarily leasing farmland in neighboring villages. And this is only a temporary solution because the landowners can reclaim the land at any time. Not to mention, renting land too far from the town center will make it difficult for regular customers to find them, gradually leading to a loss of customers and market share.

Currently, in the former Dong La area, there are still about 60-70 households that maintain well-maintained gardens. That number is not small, but compared to the heyday – when the whole commune had nearly 300 households – it has shrunk considerably. The largest remaining garden is only about 1,500 m². Mr. Phung now only has two small gardens, one on-site at 400 m², and one rented from Hung Dao commune at 400 m², less than a quarter of what his family once owned.

Despite the difficulties, the orchid growing industry in Dong La is not standing still. Orchid growers here are quietly adapting. In addition to traditional distribution channels such as direct sales at the gardens and renting kiosks year-round at the Hoang Hoa Tham flower market, many gardens have started selling online through e-commerce platforms or building sales channels on social media. "Customers order by phone, and the gardens deliver to their door. Working, watering the plants, and selling are all done via phone. It's much easier than before," Mr. Phung boasted.

What is most admirable about Dong La orchid village today is not the remaining flower trellises, but the young people who are still determined to stick with the profession despite knowing that the road ahead is difficult. "With the current rate of urbanization, we can probably only maintain this profession for about ten more years at most. If the orchid growing profession in Dong La disappears at some point, it would be truly regrettable," Mr. Phung said with a somber tone.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/giu-lua-nghe-lan-giua-con-bao-do-thi-hoa-972348.html