Farmers in Tran Bien are busy preparing for the Tet flower season.

Thien Lan Orchid Nursery (Tran Bien Ward) always has flowers available to meet customer demand.

The atmosphere at the nurseries growing yellow apricot blossoms, a flower symbolizing spring in the South, and phalaenopsis orchids, known as the "Queen of Flowers," is even more vibrant. Farmers, undeterred by sun or rain, diligently and carefully tend to each plant, ensuring it absorbs energy and nutrients, waiting for the day it will bloom and release its fragrance.

Breathing life into the shape of the apricot blossom.

From early morning, Mr. Truong Quang Vinh (residing in Nhat Hoa neighborhood, Tran Bien ward) was already present in his garden, focusing on caring for his yellow apricot blossom trees. His family has about 1,000 apricot blossom trees planted in pots. Among them, about 500 trees have recently been grafted with the Binh Loi and Saigon super-flowering apricot blossom varieties. These two varieties are characterized by producing many large flowers with many petals (approximately 20-27 petals per flower).

Mr. Vinh said: "From the beginning of the seventh lunar month, when the grafted apricot branches have grown vigorously, I start using wire to bend and shape each branch. Because there are a relatively large number of trees, I both work directly and hire highly skilled artisans to take care of them in order to keep up with the season."

According to Mr. Vinh, the value of each yellow apricot blossom tree is determined by many criteria. Although each person's perspective and evaluation may differ, the most common factors are health, aesthetics, and feng shui. After more than two months of care, the garden now has hundreds of trees of various ages that have been pruned and shaped into beautiful forms such as: upright apricot blossom, cascading apricot blossom, dragon and phoenix dance, and dragon coiled around water.

While pruning with scissors and bending wire, Vinh explained: “The person directly shaping the tree must have an aesthetic eye and a refined perspective to perceive the hidden artistic elements that those outside the profession may find difficult to recognize. Therefore, in some cases, the artist silently spends hours in front of the tree ‘studying’ their work. Although not noisy or bustling, the artist is working very actively in their mind. Each tree will develop according to the laws of nature, but through the ideas and hands of the artist, the tree will be transformed, given life, and become a work of art, elevated in value.”

Mr. Vinh said: "Yellow apricot blossoms are a characteristic flower of Southern Vietnam. During the Lunar New Year, almost every household wants to have a few pots to display. Those with means will choose large, high-value trees, according to their preferences and feng shui. Conversely, less affluent households will choose trees that suit their economic conditions, because everyone hopes that the vibrant yellow color of the apricot blossoms will bring good luck, wealth, and prosperity. Therefore, among the 1,000 apricot trees in his garden, Mr. Vinh divides them into many sections, with various types of trees of different values, from a few million to hundreds of millions of dong, to meet the needs of all customer segments."

In October, due to the effects of storms and heavy rain, the apricot trees are susceptible to many common fungal diseases and pests such as thrips, anthracnose, leaf spot, white spot, coin spot, and pink mold. Therefore, along with shaping and styling the trees, Vinh's family also pays special attention to pest and disease control and uses only biological pesticides to ensure human health and the environment.

To ensure your orchids bloom in time for Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year).

At this time, orchid care at many establishments and nurseries has been carried out intensively, and at Thien Lan Orchid Farm, which specializes in producing and selling orchids using tissue culture methods and has the largest quantity in Tran Bien ward, the activity has become bustling.

According to Ms. Ngo Thi Kim Tuyen, the facility manager: "Each year, the facility supplies the market with about 30,000 orchid plants, mainly during Tet (Lunar New Year). The advantage of tissue-cultured orchids is that they can be propagated in large quantities at a rapid rate, producing disease-free, healthy seedlings that are uniform in quality and color; they can also promote earlier flowering compared to traditional methods."

“The high rate of urbanization has led to a shrinking supply of agricultural land in the ward. Following this trend, the Ward Farmers' Association will promote the adoption of organic, microbial, small-scale, high-efficiency, smart, and modern agricultural models. The flower and ornamental plant cultivation models currently being implemented by farmers are a suitable direction. In preparation for the 2026 Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse), the Ward Farmers' Association is reviewing fresh flower and ornamental plant production facilities. Based on this, they will advise on the establishment of cooperatives to create a linked chain, enabling gardeners and businesses to cooperate and support each other in production. The Ward Farmers' Association will proactively coordinate with relevant agencies to advise the Party Committee and local government on organizing the 2026 Spring Flower Fair to promote, introduce, and sell farmers' products, thereby contributing to a more vibrant spring landscape.”
Mr. BO TRONG HIEU , Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Tran Bien Ward, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Tran Bien Ward, Dong Nai Province

At this time, orchid plants that meet the standards in terms of age and health will be put through the flowering process in preparation for the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026. Specifically, plants that are at least 6 months old (since tissue culture) and have 6-8 leaves and a healthy root system will be placed in a sufficiently cool environment (around 20-22°C) to stimulate flower bud differentiation. Currently, the greenhouse area of Thien Lan Orchid Farm does not have the best conditions, so thousands of orchid plants have been moved to colder areas in Di Linh commune, Lam Dong province for care.

Ms. Tuyen added: "To ensure that the Phalaenopsis orchids bloom beautifully in time for Tet (Lunar New Year), the gardeners use fertilizers with high phosphorus and potassium content, such as NPK 10-30-20, to stimulate flowering from the ninth lunar month, and then continue to increase the potassium content even higher to promote strong flower stalk development."

With their diverse colors, phalaenopsis orchids are loved by many and are easy to sell, especially during the Lunar New Year when customer demand increases even more. Currently, Thien Lan Phalaenopsis Orchid Nursery has three engineers on duty daily to care for the orchids in the garden, ensuring beautiful and valuable plants for the spring flower market.

Although Tran Bien is a central ward in Dong Nai province, dozens of households within the ward cultivate flowers and sell ornamental plants, most commonly yellow apricot blossoms and various types of orchids. From the ninth lunar month onwards, households growing chrysanthemums, roses, gladioli, etc., begin their planting season. The bustling atmosphere of farmers working in their flower gardens fills people's hearts with joy, as if Tet (Lunar New Year) and spring are just around the corner.

Quang Minh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202510/nong-dan-tran-bien-tat-bat-chuan-bi-mua-hoa-tet-165281d/