Ornamental plants are 'fluttering' in anticipation of Tet.

Many flower markets open early and are deserted.

From January 25th (the 15th day of the 12th lunar month), the Spring Flower Market for the Year of the Dragon along Ben Binh Dong (District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) officially opens and lasts until the 30th day of the 12th lunar month. This is one of the earliest official spring flower markets in the city. The spring flower market recreates the characteristic "on the wharf, under the boat" atmosphere of the Southern Vietnamese riverine region. This year, the Ben Binh Dong Tet flower market brings together flowers from Da Lat, the city of a thousand flowers, Cho Lach flower village (Ben Tre)... with a wide variety of ornamental plants. Notably, there are pots of yellow dragon fruit (Vinh Long), pink tangerines ( Dong Thap ), and especially the red ceramic art street of Vinh Long… The market has 654 stalls selling various fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants.

This year, gardeners growing apricot blossoms for Tet in Binh Chanh are focusing on affordable products.

Besides the spring flower market, in many places, Tet ornamental plants have been on sale earlier than in previous years (starting several weeks ago) on Thanh Thai - Bac Hai, Le Hong Phong (District 10), Mai Chi Tho, Pham Van Dong (Thu Duc City), Nguyen Huu Tho (District 7)... In the Thanh Thai - Bac Hai area, over the past few days, all kinds of ornamental plants have been brought in, ready to serve Tet, from Dien pomelos, kumquats, apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, roses to various bonsai trees. Although the vibrant spring colors fill a corner of the street, the number of customers visiting flower shops remains low because most are still busy with their end-of-year work.

According to a survey by Thanh Nien newspaper , the prices of some types of Tet flowers this year are quite "reasonable". Specifically, traditional yellow chrysanthemums cost 120,000 VND/pot, super-bud roses 45,000 VND/pot, miniature roses 35,000 VND/pot, gerbera daisies 60,000 VND/pot, marigolds 50,000 VND/pot, tiger chrysanthemums 40,000 VND/pot…

On Thanh Thai Street (District 10), ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year) have been displaying their vibrant colors since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, but sales remain weak at this point.

Mr. Tran Tan Hung, representing a flower shop on Thanh Thai Street, said: "The Tet flower market only really gets busy about a week before Tet. That's when people start shopping and preparing for Tet. However, in recent years, flower shops here have been importing Tet flowers about a month earlier. Currently, we mainly serve customers such as companies, restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls... for Tet decorations. Besides, importing flowers early is also a form of product promotion."

"During the first Tet holiday after the Covid-19 pandemic, the market was very good, but last year it was completely the opposite as people started saving more. This year the market is even more difficult, so we only dare to import a moderate quantity to test the waters. And so far, we haven't seen any positive signs. Ornamental flowers and plants have an average price of about 150,000 - 180,000 VND/pot, while bonsai and apricot blossom trees for Tet average from 3 - 5 million VND/pot… In general, the average price has decreased by 20 - 25% compared to last year's Tet. The most valuable ornamental plants in our shop here are only 20 - 30 million VND," Mr. Hung informed.

Similarly, according to Mr. Cao Van Thang, owner of Cao Thang pine garden (Thu Duc City), ornamental plants are luxury items, so when the economy is difficult, this sector is most severely affected. To adapt, the store has proactively reduced the quantity of goods imported in preparation for Tet by about 30%, and prices have also decreased significantly compared to before. Specifically, small Dien pomelo trees, which used to cost around 4-5 million VND/tree, now only cost 3.5-4 million VND/tree. Other types have also decreased accordingly, and even higher-value items have dropped even more sharply. "Despite the significant price drop, the market remains very sluggish in both buying and renting," Mr. Thang said.

Many Dien pomelo orchards along Mai Chi Tho Street (Thu Duc City) are proactively lowering prices early to attract customers.

Gardeners everywhere are reducing the quantity and lowering prices.

Even in famous flower villages of Ho Chi Minh City such as Binh Loi (Binh Chanh), Hoc Mon, and Thu Duc, many gardeners are feeling anxious. Their common worry is that this year's unfavorable weather has caused the apricot blossoms to bloom early, meaning many high-quality products have missed the opportunity to welcome the spring. Fewer beautiful products will give buyers more reason to limit their spending, especially when their budgets are limited.

Mr. Bui Ngoc Duc, owner of Huu Duc apricot blossom garden, said that while last year the average price of a potted apricot blossom tree for Tet was 500,000 VND, this year it has decreased to only about 300,000 - 400,000 VND depending on the quality. "Due to the difficult economic situation, we will not focus on high-value products but will instead target the affordable segment, mini bonsai apricot blossom trees, and renting apricot blossom trees for Tet. Besides selling wholesale to traders and participating in the city's spring flower markets, this year we are expanding our market to the North, neighboring provinces, and selling online," Mr. Duc said.

Mr. Nguyen Van Kim, owner of the Van Giau apricot blossom garden, recalls that in previous years, his garden supplied the market with 2,000-3,000 apricot blossom trees at an average price of 500,000-700,000 VND. Before the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, most of the trees had been sold, but since the beginning of the season, many traders have come to inquire and then leave, with very few people finalizing orders. "This year, consumption is likely to decrease by almost half," Mr. Kim worried.

In Cai Mon (Cho Lach, Ben Tre ), one of the most famous flower villages in the Mekong Delta, Dr. Bui Thanh Liem, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Cho Lach District, said: The total production of ornamental flowers in the locality for this year's Tet holiday is over 8 million products of all kinds. Since ornamental flowers are not essential goods, in the current difficult economic context, many people are willing to cut back on spending on this item. To boost the market and increase the recognition of Cai Mon ornamental flowers, the locality has recently coordinated with relevant departments and KOLs in Ho Chi Minh City to organize online sales events. In addition, to increase purchasing power, most types of ornamental flowers are being offered at reduced prices by about one-third compared to previous years. With these concerted efforts to boost sales, it is hoped that the growers will sell all of their Tet flower crop this year.

Similarly, in the Pho Tho - Ba Bo ornamental flower growing area (Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City), many gardeners have proactively reduced their production by up to 50%. Mr. Doan Huu Bon, Deputy Head of the Pho Tho - Ba Bo ornamental flower village, predicted a decrease in purchasing power this year, hence the reduction in quantity. Mr. Bon's family only planted over 1,200 pots of various Tet flowers, most of which were produced according to orders from various organizations, especially tourist areas, to serve Tet decorations.

From the current situation, it can be seen that reducing the quantity, lowering prices, and focusing on the affordable segment is the general trend among many nurseries selling ornamental plants for Tet this year.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hoa-kieng-phap-phong-cho-tet-185240126194451232.htm