For decades, Nhat Tan and Quang Ba wards in Tay Ho district havebeen known for peach flower gardens. But in recent years, many gardenowners have started offering a different product.
As youngpeople embrace the trend of taking professional photos in picturesquelocations, garden owners have transformed their property into outdoorphoto studios, planting daisies, sunflowers and violets and addingextras from windmills to wisteria tunnels.
Pham Sy Thanh, whohas grown peach flowers and kumquats for over 20 years, invested morethan 1 billion VND (500,000 USD) to rebuild his 3,000sq.m garden in2012.
"Growing peach flowers and kumquats, we have to work hardfor the whole year, but earn money only in one season – Lunar New Yearfestival," said Thanh. "So I decided to improve the garden to welcomemore guests."
Because people buy peach blossoms for the LunarNew Year, growing them requires timing their blossoming exactly for theholiday. However, if the weather one year is too cold or hot, the peachflowers fail to bloom at the right moment and growers suffer losses.Photo gardens, on the other hand, can be enjoyed during a much longerperiod.
Thanh hired architects and builders to arrange a lake,bridge, white painted fence, benches, swings and other decorativesections in the garden. He planted different kinds of flowers to makethe garden colourful all year round and employed workers to prune thetrees every day.
Nguyen Duc Chung, manager of a 5.5ha flowergarden at Nhat Chieu street, said that besides planting colourfulflowers, the garden owner also installed Dutch-style windmills andwooden houses and Japanese-style wisteria tunnels.
"Young girls and couples love posing with these beautiful and romantic sights," said Chung.
Openingthe gardens is much more profitable for farmers than selling peachblossoms – and far less risky. Each customer pays 10,000 VND to visitthe gardens; wedding photos cost 100,000 VND per couple. The owners alsoearn money from keeping guests' vehicles.
As more farmersconvert their flower gardens to out-door studios, some are concernedthat Nhat Tan peach blossoms – a symbol of spring in Hanoi – will dieout.
However, Le Ham, one of the first garden owners to launchthe new service, still keeps a place for planting peaches. In fact, theincome he earns from the photo garden is what allows him to continuegrowing peach trees, even when they are not profitable.
"Thechanging weather in recent years caused losses for farmers," he said."The income collected from photo takers helps guarantee our living.Since we are no longer dependent on the income from selling peachblossoms, we can preserve the trade, which has been passed down throughmany generations in my family."
Ngo Ngoc Dai, Vice Director ofthe capital Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said officewas working on a project to protect Nhat Tan peach genes so they couldbe planted in other regions.
"Nhat Tan people want to preserve their traditional trade because it was passed down from generation to generation," he said.
Young people who take photos at the flower gardens also value the traditional blossoms.
"Ithink Nhat Tan peach blossom has a big place in the spiritual life ofHanoi people, especially when spring comes," said Nguyen Thuy Duong, 26,who often visits the flower gardens in Tay Ho district to takephotos.-VNA
As youngpeople embrace the trend of taking professional photos in picturesquelocations, garden owners have transformed their property into outdoorphoto studios, planting daisies, sunflowers and violets and addingextras from windmills to wisteria tunnels.
Pham Sy Thanh, whohas grown peach flowers and kumquats for over 20 years, invested morethan 1 billion VND (500,000 USD) to rebuild his 3,000sq.m garden in2012.
"Growing peach flowers and kumquats, we have to work hardfor the whole year, but earn money only in one season – Lunar New Yearfestival," said Thanh. "So I decided to improve the garden to welcomemore guests."
Because people buy peach blossoms for the LunarNew Year, growing them requires timing their blossoming exactly for theholiday. However, if the weather one year is too cold or hot, the peachflowers fail to bloom at the right moment and growers suffer losses.Photo gardens, on the other hand, can be enjoyed during a much longerperiod.
Thanh hired architects and builders to arrange a lake,bridge, white painted fence, benches, swings and other decorativesections in the garden. He planted different kinds of flowers to makethe garden colourful all year round and employed workers to prune thetrees every day.
Nguyen Duc Chung, manager of a 5.5ha flowergarden at Nhat Chieu street, said that besides planting colourfulflowers, the garden owner also installed Dutch-style windmills andwooden houses and Japanese-style wisteria tunnels.
"Young girls and couples love posing with these beautiful and romantic sights," said Chung.
Openingthe gardens is much more profitable for farmers than selling peachblossoms – and far less risky. Each customer pays 10,000 VND to visitthe gardens; wedding photos cost 100,000 VND per couple. The owners alsoearn money from keeping guests' vehicles.
As more farmersconvert their flower gardens to out-door studios, some are concernedthat Nhat Tan peach blossoms – a symbol of spring in Hanoi – will dieout.
However, Le Ham, one of the first garden owners to launchthe new service, still keeps a place for planting peaches. In fact, theincome he earns from the photo garden is what allows him to continuegrowing peach trees, even when they are not profitable.
"Thechanging weather in recent years caused losses for farmers," he said."The income collected from photo takers helps guarantee our living.Since we are no longer dependent on the income from selling peachblossoms, we can preserve the trade, which has been passed down throughmany generations in my family."
Ngo Ngoc Dai, Vice Director ofthe capital Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said officewas working on a project to protect Nhat Tan peach genes so they couldbe planted in other regions.
"Nhat Tan people want to preserve their traditional trade because it was passed down from generation to generation," he said.
Young people who take photos at the flower gardens also value the traditional blossoms.
"Ithink Nhat Tan peach blossom has a big place in the spiritual life ofHanoi people, especially when spring comes," said Nguyen Thuy Duong, 26,who often visits the flower gardens in Tay Ho district to takephotos.-VNA
