Flower traders look for customers as Lunar New Year approaches

Peach blossom and kumquat trees are sold along the streets of Hanoi, though Tet (Lunar New Year) is still two weeks away. Tet is the most important celebration for Vietnamese people. It is a festival which happens in late January or early February. Before Tet, people usually clean and decorate their homes. People often go to the market to buy peach blossom and kumquat trees with the hope of welcoming a new spring and bringing luck and wealth. Tet is a time for family members to gather and have special food such as sticky rice cakes. People often visit relatives and close family friends on the second day of the holiday. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

As the Tet holiday approaches, Lac Long Quan street is filled with peach blossom as it is one of the favourite flowers of the Tet festival in Vietnam. Peach blossom is similar to apricot blossom but it can only be grown in the northern region. This flower symbolises happiness, richness and luckiness. Local people have been rushed to buy Nhat Tan peach blossom flowers as it is one of the most beautiful and famous peach flower types in the north of Vietnam. To meet the increasing demand of Hanoians, farmers who grow peach blossom flowers have applied special cultivation techniques to help flowers blossom early. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s demand for purchasing peach blossom and kumquat trees is on the decline, although their prices are lower than those of previous years. Tet, or the Lunar New Year, is the most important festival of the year for Vietnamese people and a time for family reunions. In Vietnam, it’s common to see kumquat trees decorating houses everywhere during Tet and the trees are seen as magical, as people believe they bring good fortune, long life and strengthen family ties. As most Hanoians live in small houses and small streets, they want to bring a natural, living space to their rooms so they can enjoy the greenery at home. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Many traders have set up makeshift tents on Hanoi’s streets to guard their ornamental trees as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches. Kumquat and peach trees are indispensable items in Vietnamese houses during Tet. Vietnamese people often shop for such flowers and plants as yellow apricot, peach blossom, chrysanthemum, and kumquat to decorate their houses during the festival, which falls on February 1 this year. It is believed that the more fruits there are on a kumquat tree, the more luck will come to the owner. Even though people are not making much money, they are still trying to buy a perfect kumquat tree for their home. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Some traders surf the internet on their mobile phones to kill time due to the absence of customers. Vietnamese people often purchase many plants and flowers to decorate their houses on the occasion of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. The little peach flower is the signal of spring and it makes the peach tree a popular and traditional decoration. From the 23rd day of the last lunar month, Vietnamese people start to buy peach trees at gardens or spring flower markets. It is believed that peach blossom can protect against devils and ghosts, and bring peace and calmness into the host’s life. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Some sellers are chatting together as no customers visit the peach blossom shop. The low demand is attributed to fewer gatherings and parties that need ornamental trees for decoration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays are days of relaxation, family reunion, happiness and joy. Vietnamese people often buy many types of flowers and plants to decorate their houses during this special occasion. The three plants that cannot be missing during the Tet holidays are peach blossoms, apricot (ochna itegerrima) blossoms and kumquat. Peach blossoms and kumquat trees are common in the north while southern people prefer apricot blossoms for Tet. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tet is the most important and longest annual festival in Vietnam. Vietnamese people decorate their houses and offices with these ornamental plants during Tet as symbols of warmth, wealth and good luck. Peach blossom is a traditional item in Tet in the north as the apricot blossom is in the south. The kumquat tree with its ripe deep orange fruits is popular throughout the country. A kumquat tree with many fruits makes a house brighter and warmer, especially in the cold weather in the north. The tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tet. Its many fruits symbolise the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes will come in the following year. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Thanh Tu, a trader, said the amount of peach blossoms she purchased this year is just half of that of the previous year, due to falling demand for peach blossom trees. Normally, the marketplace is getting busier and busier before Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival. Tet is the most important holiday and the occasion when every Vietnamese family decorates their homes with flowers and plants to welcome the New Year. Some names can be listed including chrysanthemums and rose. Nowadays, people often use orchids, lilies and tulips. Three kinds of plants that cannot be missing during the Tet holiday are peach blossom, apricot and kumquat trees. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Falling demand for peach blossom trees grown in northern Vietnamese localities, despite the high quality and appealing prices, has put sellers on pins and needles. A variety of flowers are transported to Hanoi from other provinces and cities to meet the demand for the Tet, the longest and biggest holiday of Vietnamese peopl, but peach blossoms and kumquat trees are still the most popular. It is believed that peach blossoms symbolise luck and kumquat trees represent peace and calm. The near-Tet atmosphere can be felt on every street. People are more friendly, easy-going and relaxed. For every Vietnamese, Tet triggers special emotions and memories. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Apart from peach blossoms that symbolise the strength and vitality, Vietnamese people also decorate their houses and offices with kumquat trees in the festive season. The average price for a kumquat tree is between 200,000-800,000 VND (8.60-35 USD). It might cost up to 4 million VND for a big-sized tree, depending on its shape and size. Kumquat trees are believed to symbolise prosperity because they are always laden with fruits. The tree is a popular decoration for the living room during Tet. Its fruits symbolise the fertility and fruitfulness that the family hopes will come in the coming year. Greeting cards and good luck symbols are hung on the Tet tree. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ms Huong, a trader in Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, said few customers came to her stall these days, adding that other flower shops are also in the same situation. As a traditional feature, every family in Vietnam would buy one or some types of flowers that appear only during Tet; in the South of Vietnam, the yellow apricot flower is the most common, in the Northern region, people usually purchase peach blossoms for adornment. The main reason for this difference is the characteristics of the plants. While peach trees grow well in cold weather, orchid flowers just can survive and bloom in tropical lands with lots of sunshine. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Talking about ornamental plants for Tet, one cannot fail to mention peach and apricot blossoms, considered traditional Tet flowers. Apricot blossom is present in most families in the South while peach blossom is more popular in the North. They mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and bring good luck to the families in the New Year, their colour is the symbol of happiness. Peach blossom is an enduring symbol of the Lunar New Year. Tourists often flock to Nhat Tan (Hanoi), the largest peach cultivating area, to have a better understanding of the art of growing the trees which are passed from generation to generation. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

As the weather is getting warmer, peach growers are anxiously watching the weather with the hope that the peach blossoms will bloom just in time, bringing income to them as well as prosperity to buyers. Climate conditions were the key factor to determine when the peach trees’ blossoms bloom and whether they are beautiful or ugly. Peach blossoms are more than a decoration item as their vivid beauty and profound meaning form a big part of the life of Vietnamese people whenever Tet comes. They are considered a demonstration of novelty, proliferation and development, so they can deliver health, peace and good luck to people when a new year comes. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Moc Chau peach blossoms have been transported to Hanoi. It cost hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong to buy a pot of this type of peach. Peach blossoms are an integral part of the Lunar New Year holiday in northern Vietnam. Similar to pine trees used for the Christmas holiday in the West, Vietnamese, especially those living in the North, often use peach blossoms for the Tet holiday. This symbolises the strength and vitality of the peach trees and is believed to bring luck, love and joy to people during the first days of the year. For the last few years, many Vietnamese have turned to forest peach trees for their wild beauty. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Nguyen Van Hung from the Management Board of the Spring Flower Market on Tran Nhan Tong street in Hai Ba Trung district said that only three households have so far registered to sell flowers and ornamental plants for the Tet holiday, half of last year’s figure. Tet holidays are days of relaxation, happiness and joy. It is a tradition for Vietnamese families to use many plants and flowers to decorate their houses on this occasion. The little peach flower is the signal of spring and it makes the peach tree become a popular and traditional decoration for the New Year holiday among Vietnamese people. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Quang An Flower Market in Tay Ho district, one of the oldest flower markets in Hanoi, receives fewer customers than the previous year. It is the largest market in Hanoi with a variety of flowers to meet the demand of people around the year. Each season has its own flowers, so flowers sold at the Quang An Flower Market are seasonal. They are transported from different areas, with peach blossoms and chrysanthemum from Nhat Tan, Tu Lien kumquat, apricot blossoms from Ho Chi Minh City, roses from Soc Son, and cymbidium orchid and lilies flowers from Da Lat. The market does not only sell locals’ flowers but also sells imported ones. The flowers come from various sources including China, Thailand, the Netherlands and South Africa. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Traders said they expect that more customers will come to the Quang An Flower Market after the 15th day of the last lunar month. Visiting the market has become a hobby for many Hanoians as colourful flowers displayed here are a special treat. Quang An took shape from a temporary market in Nhat Tan ward established to sell flowers grown at some well-known flower villages by West Lake such as Nhat Tan and Quang Ba. The market was moved to its present location in Quang An ward in 1996. It is opened from night to early morning of the next day, except for Tet holidays, flowers are distributed elsewhere in the city with most of the buyers being wholesale dealers. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi’s streets are becoming increasingly colourful as vendors start selling peach blossom branches in the run-up to the Tet (Lunar New Year). The flowers that bloom early can only be displayed for a week, until Kitchen Gods Day – the 23rd day of the last lunar month. After that, people may buy another branch for the lunar new year holiday period. Small peach flower branches are especially favoured and sold well. During Tet, it is a tradition for Vietnamese families to put up ornamental plants outside and around their houses to liven up the atmosphere while expressing a wish for good luck, happiness, and prosperity in the new year. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, during the 2022 New Year holiday, it will be cold at night and early in the morning with the lowest temperature from 16-19 degrees Celsius in the northern region and 13-16 degrees Celsius in the mountainous region. The highest temperature is between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius. According to experienced growers, taking care of peach trees was not too hard, but ensuring peach trees’ blossoms bloomed at the right time, right at Tet, was hard because it depended much on climate. They said the weather during the two weeks before Tet was very important. If the climate was warm enough, the blossoms would be beautiful. (Photo: VietnamPlus)