Western flowers 'fly' in all directions

These days, all kinds of ornamental flowers from flower villages in the Mekong Delta such as Sa Dec (Dong Thap), Cai Mon (Ben Tre), My Phong ( Tien Giang )... are transported by trucks and planes to all corners of the country.

Flower growers in Thanh Tri village (Tien Giang province) transport flowers for sale - Photo: VAN TRUNG

Cai Mon is completely gridlocked.

On January 19th, the Rach Mieu bridge – the main gateway to Ben Tre and leading to Cai Mon flower village – was completely gridlocked. The long line of vehicles consisted mostly of trucks carrying flowers and ornamental plants from Cho Lach district (Ben Tre) to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in the East, Central, and North of Vietnam for sale.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Hoang (43 years old, residing in Binh Phuoc province), parked his car on National Highway 60 (My Tho City) to wait to cross Rach Mieu Bridge, impatiently saying: "This year I went to Cho Lach earlier than in previous years to avoid traffic jams, but unexpectedly I still got stuck. I hope I can turn around and go back today to avoid the traffic."

As is their annual tradition, around the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, Mr. and Mrs. Hoang drive their truck down to the flower villages in the Mekong Delta to pick up flowers to sell retail at markets in Binh Phuoc. Because they didn't place deposits in advance in previous years, they bought from whichever garden they liked, resulting in a high cost and low profit margin.

This year, Mr. Hoang placed a deposit to buy 5,000 pots of chrysanthemums and marigolds from a nursery in Cho Lach more than two months ago at a price significantly lower than the current market price, so he hopes to make a profit this year.

This is also how some very large flower growers in Cai Mon flower village are selling their flowers this year. According to a survey conducted on the same day at many flower gardens in Cho Lach district, flower prices this year have only increased slightly compared to last year, and many growers have already sold all their flowers to traders. These days they are just tending to their plants while waiting for traders' trucks to come and transport them for retail sale, having already received a portion of the payment.

Sa Dec is bustling with people and vehicles.

The Sa Dec flower village is usually crowded with tourists who come here to take photos and sightsee before Tet (Lunar New Year). This is also an opportunity for gardeners to promote and sell their products very early.

At the Dong Thap Ornamental Flower Trade Center (Provincial Road 848, Tan Khanh Dong Commune, Sa Dec City), gardeners displayed flowers for sale, with the most popular being vibrant yellow chrysanthemums. Many family tourists came to take photos and buy flowers, while gardeners packaged the flowers and loaded them onto trucks for delivery to other locations.

The atmosphere in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) is bustling and lively, with crowds of people and vehicles. Meanwhile, in the heart of Sa Dec flower village, many gardeners are busy delivering goods while also welcoming visitors who come to buy flowers on the spot.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang, owner of the "Love of Land, Love of Flowers" flower garden tourist attraction, said that this year, many tourists arrived early at the flower village. The attraction alone receives 500-700 visitors daily, with even more on weekends.

Visitors come to take photos and buy flowers directly from the garden at the original price, which they really enjoy. At this time, there are still plenty of flowers in the garden, giving visitors many choices.

This year, Korean chrysanthemums continue to be in high demand, with 80% (equivalent to 8,000 baskets) already ordered by traders and scheduled for delivery to markets by the 25th of the lunar month. The average price of colored chrysanthemums at the garden is quite reasonable, ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 VND per basket.

"The total number of flower varieties in the garden is about 70,000 - 80,000 baskets, including yellow raspberries, Korean raspberries, water spinach, super-budded roses, striped chrysanthemums, marigolds, and cosmos... most of which have already been ordered. There are about 2,000 baskets of Korean raspberries sold to tourists at the garden, especially the red and pink varieties, which are completely sold out," Mr. Sang said.

According to the Economic Department of Sa Dec City, the area of ​​ornamental flowers serving the Tet market in 2025 is approximately 100 hectares, including varieties such as roses, apricot blossoms, marigolds, kumquats, orchids, and chrysanthemums. Among these, chrysanthemums remain the main crop for Tet, with approximately 75,000 baskets of yellow chrysanthemums, 100,000 baskets of Taiwanese chrysanthemums, and 100,000 baskets of Korean chrysanthemums.

This year, the number of traditional yellow chrysanthemums has decreased compared to last year, while the number of multicolored chrysanthemums and other varieties favored by the market has increased.

The alluring Lai Vung mandarins and Cao Lanh mangoes

Specialty fruits from Dong Thap province, such as Lai Vung pink tangerines and Cao Lan mangoes (Cat Chu and Cat Hoa Loc varieties), are attracting customers during Tet (Lunar New Year). Farmers are selling mangoes with attractive packaging, perfect for decorating the traditional five-fruit offering tray during Tet. Cat Chu yellow mangoes are priced at 60,000 VND/kg, while Cat Hoa Loc mangoes cost between 85,000 and 95,000 VND/kg.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, owner of Hung Phat pink tangerine orchard (Hoa Thanh commune, Lai Vung district), said that this year her orchard has about 15 tons of pink tangerines, of which about 5 tons have already been sold to tourists. "On the 26th of the lunar month, traders will come to the orchard to buy tangerines for the Tet market. We estimate that we still have about 10 tons to deliver to traders at a price of 40,000 VND/kg," Ms. Thu said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoa-mien-tay-bay-di-muon-nga-20250120081736061.htm