Fresh flower prices on the rise for International Women's Day

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, the prices of fresh flowers has risen sharply, pushing many buyers to pick more practical gifts.

Da Lat roses cost about 40,000 VND per flower; while Ecuadorian roses cost from 1.3 million VND to more than 2 million VND per bundle, while Ecuadorian rainbow roses cost 2.7 million VND per bundle of 14 flowers. Baby roses have a price of between from 500,000-1 million VND per bunch depending on the size, reported the Vietnamplus e-newspaper.

Other flowers such as sunflowers and peonies are priced from 30,000-40,000 VND per flower. Orchids cost about 30,000-40,000 VND per branch.

Many shop owners said that the price of fresh flowers for International Women’s Day on March 8 has increased by about 20 percent, due to high demand.

However, the number of customers visiting fresh flower shops on streets in Hanoi, such as Tran Xuan Soan, Cau Giay and Luong Dinh Cua, has decreased significantly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoang Lan, the owner of Hoa Pho Shop on Tran Xuan Soan, said the fresh flower market this year is less busy with customer numbers falling by 10-20 percent.

“Most of the orders come from individuals, but there are not many orders from agencies and offices due to the impact of the pandemic. However, the number of customers is still higher than Valentine's Day on February 14. The price of a flower basket is from 300,000 VND to 500,000 VND per basket, those costing more than a million dong are rarely ordered by customers,” Lan said.

Besides fresh flowers, soap roses with various colours such as red, blue and purple are also popular with a price of about 20,000-25,000 VND per flower.

The impact of COVID-19 has made the gift market quieter. Although stores and supermarkets have launched a series of great promotions, the number of customers coming to buy gifts is still lower than in previous years, especially for expensive items.

This year, many consumers tend to choose practical gifts.

Scented candles are gradually becoming more popular. Ngoc My from Ctus Candle, a scented candle shop on Tho Nhuom street, Hanoi, said that in the days approaching International Women’s Day, the shop saw an increase of about 30 percent in the number of customers. This year, the shop has gift sets with prices from 214,500 VND to 544,500 VND per set.

Meanwhile, Mnh Kien in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, has bought a massage mattress costing about 2 million VND as a gift for his mother.

“At my mother's age, she needs a regular relaxing massage. Therefore, I think this is a practical gift, showing my care to her," Kien said./.