In Ben Tre, dragon figurines, sculpted from bonsai trees by artisans in Cho Lach flower village, are priced from tens of thousands to 50 million VND each for display during the Year of the Dragon (Giap Thin) Tet holiday.
Artisan creates a dragon-shaped mascot from a kumquat tree. Video : Hoang Nam
For over a week now, the yard of 60-year-old Cao Thi Tuyet in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district, has been bustling with workers carrying overgrown kumquat bushes to the collection point. Her family previously only grew kumquat bushes for sale during Tet (Lunar New Year). More than 10 years ago, they experimented with shaping kumquat bushes into animal figures, and finding the market stable, they continued the business until now.
Next to her, Mrs. Tuyet's husband was using a welding machine to weld iron bars together to form a dragon-shaped frame. After the frame was placed in the pot, the workers carefully used wire to tie the misplaced branches to it, adjusting them for balance and aesthetics. Besides the mane, dorsal fins, and tail of the dragon, which were sculpted from acrylic coated with paint, the horns and beard were made from the roots of the mangrove tree and the fruit of the Terminalia catappa tree, both of which are abundant locally.
Ms. Tuyet said that according to folk beliefs, the dragon is a symbol of good luck, so in previous years, even though it wasn't the Year of the Dragon, her family still made more than 10 dragon sculptures from bonsai trees to sell. This year, she increased the number of dragon sculptures to 50, because the demand for bonsai trees shaped like dragons for Tet (Lunar New Year) is expected to increase.
Ms. Tuyet creates dragon sculptures from kumquat trees to sell during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). Photo: Hoang Nam
"Among the mascots, besides the tiger, the dragon is also difficult to sculpt because the face needs to have 'spirit'," Ms. Tuyet said, adding that each pair of dragon sculptures made from bonsai trees costs from 2 to 8 million VND. On average, one person can complete 2-3 small dragons, about 1.2 meters long, per day. Dragons that are 4.5 meters long require twice as long to construct.
Near Ms. Tuyet's house, Mr. Nguyen Duy Tan is also tending to more than 20 pairs of dragon sculptures made from kumquat trees, waiting for traders to come and pick them up. According to Mr. Tan, this year's weather has been very favorable for kumquat trees due to the low rainfall. From the 5th lunar month, gardeners begin planting kumquat bushes to prepare for creating the dragon sculptures.
The garden owner said that besides the main traders from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, due to the difficult economic situation this year, the gardeners have had to proactively sell ornamental plants through social media. "After buying the kumquat bonsai, you just need to water them enough and they can be enjoyed for more than a month," Mr. Tan said.
Ornamental kumquat trees shaped like dragons are being sold along the roadside in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district. Photo: Hoang Nam
About 2 km away, on National Highway 57, many pairs of dragon sculptures made from greenery have also begun to be displayed. This is one of the oldest and largest ornamental plant nurseries in Ben Tre. The owner said that the smallest dragon sculpture is 3 meters, the largest is 50 meters, and the price ranges from 3 to 50 million VND.
Cho Lach Flower Village is one of the two largest ornamental plant growing areas in the Mekong Delta, covering 600 hectares with 3,000 households growing flowers and fruit tree seedlings, producing 15-17 million flower and ornamental plant products for Tet (Lunar New Year) each year. Besides large animal-shaped ornamental plants, this year, according to observations at ornamental plant nurseries in Cho Lach, there are also mini dragons shaped from hydrangeas and pine leaves, priced from 75,000 to 150,000 VND per pot, suitable for budget-conscious customers.
Dr. Bui Thanh Liem, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Cho Lach District, said that this year, due to the difficult economic situation, the purchasing power of the people is expected to decrease by about 30% compared to previous years. Ornamental animal figurines are quite expensive, so the number this year has also decreased by about half.
"Currently, the locality has not been severely affected by drought and saltwater intrusion as predicted, but people should not be complacent and need to proactively store water to cope," Mr. Liem said.
Hoang Nam
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