Tet flowers arrive in the seaside town.

These days, a wide variety of flowers and ornamental plants, from affordable to high-end, are being transported by nurseries from various places to the coastal city of Rach Gia to serve the people celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year).

People buy flowers to decorate for Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: PHAM HIEU

A hundred flowers bloom in vibrant colors.

At flower markets in the Rach Gia Commercial Center area, Tran Quang Khai Square, An Hoa Cultural Park, Phu Cuong urban area, etc., thousands of potted flowers and ornamental plants overflowing with colors such as yellow apricot blossoms, chrysanthemums, marigolds, money trees, azaleas, lucky bamboo, apricot blossoms, orchids, sunflowers, bougainvillea, etc., are being offered for sale to serve the Tet holiday shopping needs of the people.

Mr. Tu Tham, a bonsai garden owner in Rach Gia ward, said that for the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse 2026, he brought more than 100 bonsai trees to the Spring flower market at Tran Quang Khai Square to serve people celebrating Tet. These were mainly yellow apricot blossom trees with many beautiful shapes and styles, carefully cultivated for many years. “Most of the apricot blossom trees for sale this time are bonsai, including varieties with 5 petals, 9 petals, and other types such as the 'Giao' apricot, 'Dai Loc' apricot, and 'Xù' apricot… In addition, the garden also has the 'Tu Quy' apricot variety, which has recently become sought after by apricot enthusiasts. This type has the advantage of being disease-resistant, having a longer lifespan than yellow apricot blossoms, and still blooming even in cold weather,” Mr. Tu Tham said.

Meanwhile, Tiến Dũng, a gardener residing in Hòn Đất commune, reported that he transported 60 apricot blossom trees to the flower market for sale this Tet holiday. As in previous years, at this time, some trees are beginning to bud until the 25th day of the lunar month. After that, the flowers will bloom evenly and beautifully during Tet… “To best serve the needs of people enjoying Tet flowers, the gardener also offers a rental service for apricot blossom trees at a reasonable cost, including transportation,” said Tiến Dũng, the owner of the apricot blossom garden.

In the Rach Gia Commercial Center area, various types of flowers and ornamental plants are gradually filling the space reserved for gardeners selling Tet flowers. Mr. Tan Chanh Hoang, residing in Cho Lach commune, Vinh Long province, said that he and his son have been in Rach Gia for 5 days, bringing hundreds of pots of chrysanthemums (Vietnamese, Dutch, and Korean varieties), corn, chili peppers, etc. “For over 5 years, I’ve come to Rach Gia every year to sell Tet flowers. In the past few days, the demand has been quite good; nearly 100 pots of Korean chrysanthemums sold out in the first two days. Around the 22nd of the lunar month, we will bring more flowers and ornamental plants such as apricot blossoms, kumquats, marigolds, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and Dien pomelo bonsai… to continue serving the people here,” Mr. Hoang shared.

Ms. Tran Ngoc Hieu, a resident of Rach Gia ward, who came to buy flowers at the Phu Cuong urban area flower market, shared: "My family already has apricot blossoms, and today I saw some beautiful bougainvillea flowers so I bought some more. This flower is easy to care for and blooms all year round, not just during Tet."

Price range

Not only is the market for flowers and ornamental plants during this year's Lunar New Year abundant in variety and types, but it also shows a wide range of prices. Popular flowers during Tet, such as chrysanthemums, marigolds, and apricot blossoms, are among the items with the most diverse prices. Chrysanthemums, usually grown in small plastic pots or bamboo baskets, cost around 60,000 VND per pair. Meanwhile, large chrysanthemums in cement pots cost 4 million VND per pair, while smaller plastic pots cost 2.5 million VND per pair; pompom chrysanthemums range from 160,000 to 1.5 million VND per pair; and Korean pompom chrysanthemums cost 700,000 VND per pair…

Marigolds, cockscomb, and sunflowers range in price from tens to hundreds of thousands of dong per pot, depending on size. Bougainvillea varieties with vibrant colors are also imported in large quantities, costing several hundred thousand dong per pot; mature bougainvillea trees with beautiful colors can cost over 10 million dong per pot…

Yellow apricot blossom trees also come in a wide range of prices. The cheapest are small bonsai apricot trees with simple shapes, priced from 200,000 VND per pot. The price of apricot blossom trees increases depending on size, shape, and the number of blossoms on the tree. A large number of potted apricot blossom trees are priced from 2 to 5 million VND, targeting the budget-conscious customer segment. Ancient apricot blossom trees, however, can cost hundreds of millions of VND. According to the owner of Tu Tham apricot blossom garden, the cheapest trees offered for sale are 7 million VND, while the most expensive ones cost 600 million VND per tree.

However, the nursery owners said that customer preferences have changed this year due to the economic situation; buyers are being more cautious and tend to save money. “This year, there are more customers renting apricot blossom trees, both for families and offices. Sales of large apricot blossom trees haven't picked up much yet; demand is concentrated on mid-range prices. Overall, selling and rental prices remain stable compared to last year,” said Tien Dung nursery owner.

According to gardeners, although they started selling flowers and ornamental plants quite early, the current demand is not high. The reason is that many people are still working and haven't had time to go shopping for flowers. Around the 24th or 25th of the twelfth lunar month, the number of flower buyers increases sharply.

PHAM HIEU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/hoa-tet-ve-pho-bien-a475967.html