The bustling peach blossom season in Van Ho

With just over three weeks until the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Horse, locals are busily bringing branches of wild peach blossoms down along National Highway 6 to sell, creating a bustling atmosphere reminiscent of a highland spring market.

For a long time, Vân Hồ wild peach blossoms have been famous for their rustic beauty, long-lasting blooms, and harmonious colors. Combined with their moss-covered, winding trunks, they retain their original pristine appearance even when brought to the city, making them a favorite among customers from the lowlands.

Van Ho commune is known as the "capital" of wild peach blossoms, as the entire commune has up to 500 hectares of peach trees, with about 1,400 households participating in planting and selling peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year). At this time, many households have started cutting branches and transporting them to display and sell along National Highway 6, mainly concentrated in areas such as Co Cham village and Van Ho intersection.

People in Van Ho commune are preparing to bring peach blossoms to the Tet market.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Dung, a tourist from Hanoi , said: "Every year before Tet (Lunar New Year), my family goes to Moc Chau plateau to visit and take pictures. On the way back, we usually stop at the roadside peach blossom markets to choose a few branches of wild peach blossoms to display during Tet. The Van Ho peach blossoms have a beautiful, natural shape, with pale pink flowers that aren't vibrant but last a long time, and the price is quite reasonable. Displaying wild peach blossoms in the house creates a warm, intimate feeling, like bringing the spring atmosphere of the highlands back to the family."

The peach blossoms of Vân Hồ have a rustic beauty, bloom for a long time, and have harmonious colors.

The peach market in Co Cham village, Van Ho commune, has started to get busy.

Mr. Mùa A Páo, a peach tree grower in Co Chàm village, shared: "My family grows over 1,000 peach trees. At this time, we mainly sell to traders who come directly to the garden to pick up the peaches and transport them to the lowlands. For trees that bloom early, I proactively cut the branches and sell them early to serve customers who want to enjoy peach blossoms before Tet or for decoration and photography. This year, the price of peach blossoms is not much different from last year. We expect to earn over 200 million VND from selling peach blossoms this year."

Along with naturally growing wild peach trees, many households in Van Ho also cultivate various types of potted and shaped peach trees to meet customer demand.

Besides cultivating wild peach trees, many households also invest in growing potted and grafted peach trees to meet the diverse demands of the market. This year's Tet peach season, the peach orchard of Mr. Hoang Van Hoan's family in Van Ho commune has more than 1,000 trees, mainly varieties such as pink peach, seven-inch peach, red peach, and white peach. Thanks to favorable climate conditions and systematic care, most of the peach trees have already budded, and many have begun to bloom. For about a week now, 8-10 trucks have been entering and leaving the orchard daily to transport peaches to Hanoi and other northern provinces.

Mr. Hoang Van Hoan said: "To ensure peach blossoms bloom in time for Tet, growers must prepare meticulously from very early on. The process of inhibiting and inducing bud formation must begin from July to September. I also plant moss on the trunk, giving the peach tree an ancient, mossy, and beautiful appearance. At this time, the family has completed the process of transplanting the trees and potting them, ready for transport to the lowlands. We can meet the needs of customers who want to buy or rent peach trees for Tet."

Peach and plum blossom branches displayed along National Highway 6 attract many customers from the lowlands.

This year, due to the extra lunar month and unpredictable weather, many peach blossom trees have bloomed early. Currently, prices range from 300,000 to 1,000,000 VND per branch, depending on size and style. Ancient, gnarled, moss-covered peach trees can fetch prices up to several million VND. However, because many trees bloomed prematurely before Tet (Lunar New Year), sales will decrease. Besides large peach trees, the Mong people in Van Ho commune also sell smaller branches in bundles, as well as plum and apricot branches, for vase arrangements and decoration, priced from 15,000 to 30,000 VND per bundle. Furthermore, peach blossom markets offer additional services such as transportation, pruning, guarding, and selling peach blossoms for Tet, creating jobs and income for local people.

People in Van Ho commune gather small peach blossom branches into bundles to sell to customers for Tet (Lunar New Year) decorations.

As the scent of spring fills the air, the wild peach blossoms of Son La not only sprout and display their beauty amidst the mountains, but also continue their journey to bustling cities, adding to the springtime beauty of urban areas and bringing a warm and prosperous Tet holiday to the people in the highlands.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/nhon-nhip-dao-tet-van-ho-lcrYdLIDg.html