Small floral corner in town

Men unload boxes of flowers

HCMC, the biggest city in Vietnam, is famous for its dense population, heavy traffic, and bustling life. However, there exists a lovely flower market named Ho Thi Ky in a small corner of the city.

Located on Ho Thi Ky Street in District 10, Ho Thi Ky flower market which was founded in 1987 is a favorite place for those who want to purchase flowers for wholesale and retail and for one who simply prefers seeing the floral beauty.

Upon entering the flower market, visitors will be amazed by a wide variety of colorful flowers such as daisy, marigold, sunflower, lotus, tulip, lily, rose and orchid, among others. They can also smell the fragrances of hundreds of flowers in the air. Apart from fresh flowers, the market also sells baskets and vases made from bamboo or ceramics as well as offer flower arrangement services.

Hanh, the owner of a flower shop, says the market is busy all day. “We sell flowers as dawn breaks until the end of the day. From midnight onwards, trucks carrying boxes of flowers enter the market where men are ready to unload the boxes, putting them on trolleys and distributing to the shops across the street,” she said.

“Flowers are shipped here from other parts of the country, but mostly from Dalat City which is known as the city of love and flowers. Customers can find flowers of any kind here at the market. At about 10 p.m. every day, trucks carrying a large number of big boxes gather at the entrance. Boxes of flowers are delivered to shops so that we can make preparations for the next day’s business.”

These florists just like the pretty flowers they sell spend most of their lives surrounded by the floral beauty.

Meanwhile, another owner named Thoa says her shop sells orchids shipped from Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Long An and Dalat.

While locals in the northern region enjoy buying fresh flowers on a regular basis, fresh flowers in HCMC are mostly purchased and used for decorating events including weddings. “For wedding parties people choose bright colors,” she added.

Both Hanh and Thoa share one opinion that Ho Thi Ky flower market is specially crowded and lively on the Lunar New Year holiday. Other occasions are Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day on March 8 and Vietnamese Women’s Day on October 20 when young couples rush to buy flowers as gifts for their loved ones.

“On Tet holiday, customers buy many kinds of flowers, but peach blossom and apricot blossom are the most popular in addition to marigold, daisy and chrysanthemum. For other occasions such as Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day and Vietnamese Women’s Day, roses are best-sellers because they are delicate and fabulous with lovely smells,” says Hanh.

“On normal days, around 1,000 flower boxes are delivered to the market, but on special occasions, the market can receive up to 2,000-3,000 flower boxes,” says Thoa.

Many people prefer buying flowers at Ho Thi Ky flower market rather than anywhere else because flowers there are much cheaper, fresher and prettier. Prices are reasonable depending on each kind of flower at about VND35,000 for ten roses, VND10,000 for a daisy bunch, VND60,000 for flamingo flower boutique and VND100,000 for a lily bunch.

SGT/VNN