Opening channels for the consumption of early-blooming chrysanthemums.

Photo caption — Many chrysanthemum gardens in Cho Lach commune, Vinh Long province, are expected to bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year), and locals are actively tending to them to ensure flower quality.

Flowers blooming before the peak of the Tet holiday market have made consumption difficult, leading to lower prices and affecting growers' income. In response to this situation, local authorities, relevant agencies, and flower growers have proactively implemented various solutions in recent days to connect with consumers and find outlets for the early-blooming flowers, helping farmers recover their capital.

Proactively seek new sales channels.

According to the People's Committee of Cho Lach commune, this year's Tet ornamental flower crop will have an area and production volume of approximately 2.5 million products of various types supplied to the market; of which, chrysanthemum flowers account for about 1.2 million products. Although the locality has developed a fairly complete technical process for chrysanthemum production, due to the long cultivation period of about 6 months, the flowers are easily affected by weather fluctuations, leading to premature or delayed blooming.

This year, the phenomenon of early blooming chrysanthemums has occurred on a large scale in some gardens, affecting the income of flower growers. According to statistics, the percentage of early-blooming flowers accounts for about 20-30%, 7-10 days earlier than the normal cycle. Currently, most of the flowers that bloomed on schedule have been purchased by traders at prices ranging from 160,000 to 200,000 VND per pair. As for the early-blooming chrysanthemums, the selling price at the garden ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 VND per pair, depending on the time of purchase and the quality of the flowers.

Faced with the pressure of demand due to the early and simultaneous blooming of chrysanthemums, many flower growers have proactively grasped market needs and sought suitable customers for their products. A prime example is the family of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Sang (Cho Lach commune), who proactively selected and sold chrysanthemums early to serve the New Year market.

With approximately 2,500 potted plants prepared for the Tet market, the family prioritizes selling plants that bloom early to tourist areas and businesses that need early decorations. This allows them to quickly recoup their investment and reduce the pressure of caring for the plants amidst rising input costs and unpredictable weather.

Ms. Le Thi Diem's family (Cho Lach Commune) has been busy in recent days looking for buyers for over 300 pots of early-blooming chrysanthemums. About 2-3 days ago, she sold nearly 100 pairs, with prices ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 VND per pair; beautiful flowers cost around 200,000 VND per pair, while average quality flowers cost around 150,000 VND per pair.

According to Ms. Diem, this price is lower than last year due to the increased supply of early-blooming flowers this year. They've sold a few in the past few days, and the family is trying to sell the rest as soon as possible at a price that will either break even or make a small profit. As for the remaining more than 2,000 chrysanthemum pots in the garden, the family is focusing on caring for them so they bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year), hoping for a price similar to previous years to have enough income for the holiday.

The simultaneous and early blooming of chrysanthemums has created significant pressure on consumption. Instead of waiting for "rescue" efforts, many farmers have proactively changed their mindset, seeking new sales channels that are more suitable for the market. Recognizing that traditional sales channels are no longer the only option, many chrysanthemum growers in Cho Lach commune have switched to selling online.

Using smartphones, flower growers film videos and livestream from their gardens to showcase and sell their products directly to customers, while also targeting markets in Central and Northern Vietnam – where the cold weather slows down the blooming process while still ensuring quality. As a result, a large quantity of early-blooming chrysanthemums has been sold at reasonable prices, helping to minimize losses for growers.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Huong said that this year the flowers bloomed earlier than expected, but because there are no designated flower distribution points, her family switched to online sales to reach customers further away. The main method is video recording and livestreaming; after customers place orders, the family packages and ships them. Ms. Huong said: “Each livestream session can sell about 50-100 pairs of flowers, with customers mainly from the North and Central regions; in the South, demand usually increases sharply about a week before Tet. Selling directly to customers helps growers reach consumers, reduces intermediaries, allows them to proactively control prices, and better adapt to weather fluctuations and output pressure.”

Promoting and expanding the distribution channels for early-blooming chrysanthemums.

Cho Lach commune is one of the key flower-producing areas for Tet (Lunar New Year) in Vinh Long province. Every year, the local supply of Tet flowers is mainly bought up early by traders who place deposits. However, this year, due to the early blooming of chrysanthemums on a large scale, both farmers and traders are facing difficulties and cannot wait until Tet to sell as originally planned.

Given this situation, many traders proactively choose gardens with flowers ready for early sale; at the same time, they seek new distribution channels, focusing on customers who need flowers for decoration or areas with suitable weather conditions for slow flower growth, ensuring they are still ready for the Tet market.

Ms. Dinh Thi Hue (a flower trader in Cho Lach) said that this year, the percentage of early-blooming flowers in many gardens is higher than in previous years, but the quality of chrysanthemums remains very good, from the shape of the flowers to their size. Currently, the price of chrysanthemums blooming on time ranges from 170,000 to 200,000 VND per pair. For early-blooming flowers, the selling price is from 100,000 to 200,000 VND per pair, depending on the size. For some small pots with flowers that bloomed too early, making them unsuitable for Tet (Lunar New Year), households sell them for about 50,000 to 60,000 VND per pair to recover their capital, but the quantity is not large.

According to Ms. Hue, the market from Central Vietnam to the North, where the weather is cold, is very suitable for selling early-blooming chrysanthemums. The flowers develop about 7-10 days slower than in the Mekong Delta, ensuring quality by Tet (Lunar New Year). The biggest difficulty currently is that it's still early, and the flower collection points for Tet haven't been established yet, limiting sales. In recent days, traders have only helped sell about 20-30% of the early-blooming flowers; the rest are still waiting for distributors and customers.

Alongside the proactive efforts of local people and traders, the local government and relevant agencies have also stepped in to support the consumption of chrysanthemums. The locality is actively implementing solutions to connect markets, encouraging people to expand sales channels through e-commerce platforms, in combination with transportation companies and reputable sales channels.

Recently, the Vinh Long Department of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the People's Committee of Cho Lach commune, Viettel Post Vinh Long branch, and TikTok Shop Vietnam, organized the spring market "Vinh Long Agricultural Products Journey - Bringing Spring Home," showcasing key local agricultural products, most notably chrysanthemum plants – a signature product associated with the Cho Lach ornamental flower brand. The program recorded approximately 2,500 orders, including over 2,000 pots of chrysanthemums and more than 6,000 green pomelos. Following the sales events, the participating units continued to collaborate with local farmers to open online flower baskets to serve the Tet (Lunar New Year) flower purchasing needs of the people.

According to Pham Phuoc Trai, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Vinh Long province, the "Vinh Long Agricultural Products Journey - Bringing Spring Home" is a practical activity in promoting the local specialty products associated with digital transformation during the 2026 Lunar New Year. It also helps producers gradually improve their skills in content creation and online sales, building consumer trust. This is considered an important prerequisite for forming an agricultural production force that adapts to digital transformation, contributing to solving the problem of stable outlets for local agricultural products and specialties in the future.

Through this program, the Department of Industry and Trade hopes not only to support product consumption during a few livestream sessions but also to help farmers, gardeners, and cooperatives gradually improve their online marketing and sales skills, and participate more deeply in the e-commerce ecosystem.

Mr. Tran Huu Nghi, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cho Lach commune, said that the program aims to help the locality introduce the value of Cho Lach ornamental flower products, showcase the hard work and dedication of flower growers, and promote characteristic products such as chrysanthemums, apricot blossoms, bougainvillea, etc., to consumers nationwide. The program took place amidst difficulties in selling early-blooming chrysanthemums, contributing to solving some of the difficulties for farmers.

To date, approximately 70% of households with early-blooming chrysanthemums have had their produce sold through a combination of traditional distribution channels and online platforms. For the remaining area, local authorities and relevant agencies will continue to coordinate support in connecting with traders and facilitating online sales to help people recover their capital and minimize losses. Local authorities have also collaborated with specialized agencies to conduct on-site surveys to provide timely technical recommendations and research adjustments to production processes for subsequent seasons, aiming to minimize risks for farmers in producing flowers for the Lunar New Year.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/mo-kenh-tieu-thu-hoa-cuc-no-som-20260119154546530.htm