Son La: Highlanders earn hundreds of millions of dong from Tet peach blossoms

Peach, apricot, and plum blossoms are pruned and tied into small bundles by Mong people in Long Luong commune to supply to traders. Photo: TL

Currently, in Van Ho district, there are about 1,000 hectares of land planted with peach trees. Peach branches and trees always bring high and stable income to people during the traditional Tet holiday every year.

Long Luong is one of the communes with the largest peach growing area in Van Ho district. In recent years, the commune government has mobilized and encouraged people to plant, invest in, care for and develop peach trees. Therefore, peach trees are the main crop and the main source of income for ethnic minorities here.

As a farmer and seller of peach branches for 15 years, Mr. Mua A Thu, a Mong ethnic, from Co Cham village, Long Luong commune, said that since he was a child, he followed his grandfather and father to the fields to grow peaches. According to Mr. Thu, in the past, peach trees were mainly sold for fruit, so the income was not high.

Mr. Mua A Thu, Mong ethnic group, Co Cham village, Long Luong commune, Van Ho district, prepares peach branches to supply to traders. Photo: TL

In recent years, many traders from provinces and cities have come to buy peach branches and trees and bring them to the lowlands for consumption. Thanks to that, peach trees have brought higher and more stable value to growers. Currently, Mr. Thu's family has nearly 4 hectares of 500 peach trees, trees that are about 6 years old or older can sell branches at high prices.

In particular, Mr. Thu's family has many peach trees that have been planted for 30 years. Along with that, his family focuses on investing in and taking care of the peach trees so that the branches are large, have many buds, and the flowers bloom beautifully and last a long time. Every year, about a month before Tet, traders from the provinces, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Hanoi city come to deposit money to buy peach branches and grafted roots. This year, his family sold about 1,000 peach branches, 100 grafted peach roots (about 350 million VND) and 150 million VND from selling peaches.

Mr. Mua A Dua, Co Cham village, Long Luong commune, Van Ho district has nearly 500 peach grafted trees, priced from 1.5 million VND to 15 million VND/tree, average selling price 3 million VND/tree, income 1.5 billion VND. Photo: TL

As for Mr. Mua A Dua's family, Co Cham village, Long Luong commune, said: In the past, his family lived mainly by repairing motorbikes, and did not have much land to grow peach trees. Realizing that the local peach trees were old, with moss covering the roots, they were popular in the lowland market. In the past two years, Mr. Dua has started to buy ancient peach trees from local people to graft. In 2025, he plans to sell nearly 500 peach trees to the market, with prices ranging from 1.5 million VND to 15 million VND/tree, an average of 3 million VND/tree, earning 1.5 billion VND.

According to many traders, this year's peach blossoms are beautiful, blooming right on Tet, so the selling price is higher than last year. Depending on the shape, whether there are many buds or few buds and each peach variety, many households sell grafted peach trees and roots for several million VND, long-grown trees with moss, mold, rough roots, and beautiful shapes are priced up to several tens of millions of VND.

Traders of Thanh Hoa province buy peach branches from people in Long Luong commune, Van Ho district. Photo: TL

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long, a trader from Thanh Hoa province, said that for many years now, every time the Lunar New Year is near, he and some friends go to Van Ho to buy peach branches. Customers in the lowlands really like it because peaches grown in Son La province in general and Van Ho district in particular are cared for and grow naturally, suitable for the climate and soil, so they have big, beautiful flowers, many buds and moss clinging to the tree trunk. Moreover, peach branches also have different prices, suitable for many customers, so they are easy to sell, without worrying about unsold goods.

Currently, peach trees are planted by people around their houses, on fields and hills, concentrated in Pa Kha, Long Luong, Co Cham villages of Long Luong commune and some highland communes of Van Ho district. During the peach blossom season, many households have invested in tourism development for tourists to visit, experience and take photos. Thanks to that, it also helps to increase people's income.

Mr. Giang A De, Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Luong commune, informed that peach trees are one of the main crops of the commune, and the Lunar New Year is the main harvest. In recent years, the commune has organized the Peach Blossom Festival to preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic minorities of Long Luong commune and honor the beauty of peach blossoms and natural scenery in the commune.

The Lunar New Year of At Ty is approaching, these days many roads in Van Ho district, Son La province are always busy with people carrying peach branches to supply to traders. Photo: TL

Since then, it has attracted a large number of tourists to visit and experience, contributing to promoting tourism development; helping local people consume peaches better, rise up to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty and become well-off and rich households.

Taking advantage of favorable natural conditions and climate, in recent years, the peach growing area of ​​Van Ho district has always been maintained stably. Peach trees have brought high economic value to peach growing households, many households have had an income of millions of VND/year. Thanks to that, the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities in the district is increasingly improved.

The hobby of playing with That Thon peach blossoms is expensive and elaborate.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/son-la-nguoi-dan-vung-cao-co-thu-nhap-hang-tram-trieu-dong-tu-dao-tet-1737616366619.htm