Busy preparing agricultural products and ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year).

In recent days, farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces and cities have been focusing on tending their orchards, ornamental plants, vegetables, shrimp, and fish, while also increasing the processing of OCOP products to serve the market for the Lunar New Year of 2026.

Báo Cần Thơ•03/01/2026

Take good care of your ornamental plants for Tet (Lunar New Year).

With over 1,000 hectares of various ornamental plants, Sa Dec flower village ( Dong Thap province) is one of the main Tet flower production areas in the Mekong Delta. Mr. Le Thanh Son, head of the Tan Hoa Ornamental Flower Production Cooperative (Sa Dec ward), said that while people here grow ornamental plants year-round, Tet is the main season. For the past few months, the villagers have been focusing on caring for hundreds of thousands of pots of chrysanthemums, marigolds, Taiwanese chrysanthemums, lucky bamboo, sunflowers, forget-me-nots, petunias; along with many yellow apricot blossoms, bonsai trees, and ornamental plants for landscaping projects… ready to supply the 2026 Tet market.

Mr. Tran Hoang Dung from Sa Dec ward shared: “My family is currently tending to nearly 10,000 pots of various types of chrysanthemums to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year). This year, the price of materials and fertilizer has increased, coupled with the threat of tidal surges forcing farmers to pump out water, raise embankments, and raise flower trellises, thus incurring additional costs. If Tet flower prices don't increase and sales are slow, there will be no profit.”

In Vinh Long province, the key ornamental flower production areas in the communes of Cho Lach, Vinh Thanh, Phu Phung, and Hung Khanh Trung are also bustling with activity for the Tet holiday. Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh from Hung Khanh Trung commune said: “Around August, my family planted nearly 6,000 pots of chrysanthemum and are constantly tending to them to sell during the Tet season. Besides fertilizing, watering, and preventing pests and diseases, we have to prune the shoots regularly to help the plants grow. However, the difficulty is that this year there has been a lot of rain, making cultivation hard and increasing costs.”

Meanwhile, many households growing yellow apricot blossoms in Cho Lach commune are also worried because of unfavorable weather conditions and heavy rains, causing the apricot blossoms to not bloom in time for Tet (Lunar New Year). According to Mr. Tran Huu Nghi, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cho Lach commune, this is a key area for producing various types of flowers for Tet sales such as chrysanthemum, Dutch chrysanthemum, marigold, yellow apricot blossom, and ornamental plants, with nearly 5 million products. Among them, chrysanthemums have received OCOP 3-star certification. Although people produce ornamental flowers year-round, Tet is the main season. This year's weather has been unfavorable for Tet flower growers; therefore, relevant agencies are providing support in appropriate care and response, minimizing losses and striving to maintain sufficient quantities of ornamental flowers to supply the market.

Residents in Vi Tan ward, Can Tho city, are currently planting many types of ornamental flowers to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: HOAI THANH

According to the Plant Protection and Crop Production Sub-Department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, farmers in the city have currently planted approximately 650,000 pots of ornamental flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year) such as chrysanthemums, marigolds, and lucky bamboo. To prepare for this year's Lunar New Year market, flower growers in the city's communes and wards have started preparing very early.

For example, at the Phu Hung Yellow Apricot Blossom Cooperative in Chau Thanh commune, Can Tho city, to have beautiful apricot blossom pots for the Tet market, in the months leading up to Tet, cooperative members have been treating the trees, pruning branches, shaping the canopy, and nurturing the leaves so that the flowers bloom right on Tet. This year, the cooperative expects to supply thousands of apricot blossom pots of various types to the market. Meanwhile, in Xang Moi flower village, Thanh Xuan commune, Can Tho city, farmers are also busy caring for ornamental flowers for Tet. According to the leader of the Xang Moi flower growing cooperative, this year's Tet flower season will see the entire cooperative producing approximately 150,000-200,000 pots of various flowers for the market, mainly marigolds and chrysanthemums. This year, the cost of input materials, pesticides, and fertilizers has increased compared to last year, leading to a 20-30% increase in production costs.

Boosting production to serve the Lunar New Year.

Mr. Dam Van Hung, Director of Huong Mien Tay Private Fruit Trading Enterprise (Phuoc My Trung commune, Vinh Long province), said: "In flooded green pomelo orchards, the trees are showing signs of leaf drop and weakening, and the fruit needs to be removed to focus on nourishing the trees, accepting a poor pomelo harvest for Tet. However, this number is not large. For orchards with solid dike systems, farmers are taking meticulous care to ensure the pomelos are harvested in time for Tet. Basically, the production of green pomelos in the Mekong Delta for the Tet market has decreased by about 20%. Even so, the price of pomelos for Tet is unlikely to increase significantly, predicted to be around 40,000-50,000 VND/kg."

In Dong Thap province, over 220 hectares of the specialty pink tangerine are cultivated in Lai Vung and Hoa Long communes to supply the Tet market. According to Mr. Luu Van Tin, Director of the Lai Vung Pink Tangerine Cooperative, despite unfavorable weather conditions, farmers are applying advanced techniques to protect their tangerine orchards from storms, rain, and pests. The estimated yield for Tet is about 2,400 tons, similar to last year. Currently, traders from other areas have not yet come to place deposits for purchase, and farmers are not in a hurry to sell early, because in recent years the yield of pink tangerines has not been abundant, while the demand for them during Tet for display and gifts is very high. The estimated price of Tet tangerines will range from 40,000 to 60,000 VND/kg.

Lai Vung pink tangerines – a specialty of Dong Thap province – are very popular in the market during Tet (Lunar New Year). Photo: Phuoc Binh

Mr. Nguyen Minh Trang from Vi Thanh 1 commune, Can Tho city, said: “To have enough jackfruit to supply the Tet holiday, the Vi Thanh 1 Red-Fleshed Jackfruit Cooperative has been treating the trees to bear fruit for many months now and will harvest from mid-December to the Lunar New Year. Every year, jackfruit for Tet is bought by traders at the orchard for 40,000-50,000 VND/kg.”

"With a jackfruit plantation of 1 hectare, the average yield is about 20 tons per year. After deducting expenses, farmers earn a profit of approximately 500 million VND per year."

Ms. Pham Thi Minh Hieu, Head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department of Can Tho City, advised: Fruit farmers need to be vigilant about flooding caused by heavy rain and high tides; they should dredge the drainage ditches and sewers around their orchards to avoid waterlogging and root rot. Use stakes and ropes to prevent trees from falling or breaking; prune overly dense or weak branches, diseased branches, ineffective branches, and suckers to reduce nutrient depletion, improve ventilation, and limit breeding grounds for pests and diseases. Regularly inspect and monitor for pests, and provide adequate and timely nutrition according to the tree's needs at each stage, especially for fruits intended for the Tet market.

Along with fruits and ornamental plants, many other agricultural products are also being produced in a rush to serve the Tet holiday. Ms. Le Thi Kim Thoa, Director of Hieu Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Vinh Phong commune, An Giang province), said that this year's floods have brought abundant aquatic resources. Therefore, the cooperative is stepping up the processing of tens of tons of dried and fermented products to supply the market for Tet 2026. Dried shrimp is the most processed product, as it is a popular specialty during Tet, with prices ranging from 550,000 to 800,000 VND/kg (depending on the type); dried snakehead fish costs 250,000-300,000 VND/kg; dried catfish costs around 300,000 VND/kg; fermented shrimp paste costs 180,000 VND/kg; fermented snakehead fish costs 200,000 VND/kg… All products meet OCOP standards, but prices have not increased compared to last year.

HOAI THANH - PHUOC BINH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tat-bat-chuan-bi-nong-san-hoa-kieng-phuc-vu-tet-a196399.html