Ornamental flowers hit the streets

Although the spring flower markets have not yet opened, many small traders and gardeners from different provinces have already started selling pots of flowers and ornamental plants for the upcoming Lunar New Year 2024. The quantity of available products is increasing, and the prices are affordable.

Appricot blossoms are on display for Tet sales on roads of Hung Dinh ward in Thuan An city

In vibrant colors

At major intersections in Di An City, a variety of flowers such as van tho (longevity flowers), song doi (life-lasting flowers), giant daisies, rice dumpling flowers, and multicolored flowers are being sold in a bustling manner. Mr. Tran Van Hai, a flower vendor on DT.743 street of Tan Dong Hiep ward, stated that the prices of Tet flowers this year have hardly increased compared to the previous year. The price for a pair of 2-meter tall golden chrysanthemum pots ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 million VND, while smaller ones are priced from 800,000 to 1 million VND per pair. Rice dumpling flowers are priced at 350,000 to 400,000 VND per pair.

Along the roads in An Phu, Binh Nham, Hung Dinh wards, Thuan An city, the atmosphere of spring is bustling with a busy flow of trucks transporting Tet ornamental plants for sale over the past 3 days. Gardeners have chosen beautiful and convenient locations to attract residents and tourists to visit, choose and purchase Tet flowers.

In addition to the common flowers that are priced at a few hundred thousand Vietnamese dong, there are also plants that cost tens of millions of dong. For instance, a pair of mao ga (cockscomb) is priced at 150,000 VND, a 0.5m tall appricot blossom plant costs 350,000 VND per pot, bouganvillea is priced at 200,000 VND per pot, and orchids range from 150,000 to 3 million VND per pot. As for ornamental plants like appricot and red alba grown in pots, the price varies depending on the size, age, and shape of the plant. Each plant can cost from 15 to 30 million VND, while red alba is priced at 12 million VND per pot. Mr. Anh Tran Quoc Bao, from Hung Dinh Ward, Thuận An City, stated that this year he is preparing about 1,000 bonsai trees of various sizes to participate in the local spring flower market. Due to limited space, he will display a number of small bonsai trees on-site and invite visitors to choose and purchase larger, aesthetically pleasing bonsai trees directly from the garden if they have the desire.

According to Mr. Pham Nguyen Khanh Duong, an official of Hung Dinh Ward, Thuận An City, this year the ward has allocated over 100 plots for small traders to participate in selling Tet flowers in the Ngang Bridge area. Gardeners from various provinces and localities have gathered flowers since last weekend. Currently, there are not many customers, but in the next few days, it is certain that there will be more.

In eager pending for buyers

Despite the vibrant spring colors that fill people's hearts with joy, the number of customers visiting Tet flower shops remains relatively sparse, as most are still busy with year-end business activities. While sellers have just started their operations, many garden owners are concerned about weak demand and have proactively implemented early price reductions.

Flowers show off their colors on roads across the province before Tet

Mr. Tran Quoc Bao, a gardener in Thuan An city, stated that ornamental plants are not considered essential goods, and in the current difficult economic situation, many people are cutting back on expenses for this product. In order to boost purchasing power, Mr. Bao has reduced the selling price of apricot blossoms by approximately one-third compared to previous years.

Anh Nguyen Thanh Duc, from Hoa Phu Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, stated that the weather this year has been favorable. His family has already transported and put on sale a large quantity of Tet flowers, including apricot blossoms, paper flowers, and porcelain flowers, to meet the demand. He has rented a vehicle to transport over 700 pots of Tet flowers from Ben Tre to Binh Duong. “The transportation costs for the goods amount to over 40 million dong, not to mention the labor costs for the caretaker of the Tet flowers at 500,000 dong per day, and the rental fees for the premises. Despite the high expenses, due to the challenging market conditions, we only consider the labor as profit," said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duc.

According to Mr. Duc, last year a 1m tall Tet apricot tree was priced at 6-7 million VND, but this year it is only around 3-4 million VND. Similarly, large-sized paper flowers made of agate or diamond were priced at 18 million VND per pair last year, but now they are only 15 million VND per pair. Various types of ornamental plants, bonsai, and small Tet apricot trees have an average price ranging from 500,000 to 2.5 million VND per pot. Overall, the average price level has decreased by 40% compared to last year's Tet holiday. "Despite the significant price reduction, we are still uncertain about the Tet flower market's performance. Therefore, we need to sell quickly and at a low price to serve our loyal customers and also promote our products for next year's Tet season," added Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duc.

Reported by Thanh Hong – Translated by Vi Bao