Orchids

Zing reported that Vietnamese flowers were losing ground to Chinese imports which are diverse in type and cheap.

Chinese flowers are available at all the largest flower markets, such as Hoang Hoa Tham, Quang An and Quang Ba, and floral shops in Hanoi. They are also offered on social networks and attract buyers thanks to the low prices.

A branch of dia lan (Cymbidium hybrid) sourced from Da Lat, Vietnam is sold at VND300,000-400,000, while a branch of Sa Pa’s dial an is priced at VND500,000-600,000. Meanwhile, Chinese importers are sold at just VND50,000-150,000.

Luxury products can be found at a flower shop in HCM City. The shop is selling lan ho diep (Phalaenopsis sp), imported from Japan, at VND1 million per branch. The representative of the shop said the flowers are selling well, though they are very expensive.

In addition to Japanese orchids, there are also imports from Taiwan and China, or Taiwanese flowers grown in Vietnam. They are sold at VND350,000-500,000 per branch, or 50 percent cheaper than Japanese. Vietnam’s land ho diep is selling at VND200,000-300,000.

lan Tran Mong (cymbidium lowianum) is surprisingly selling at low prices of VND20,000-60,000 per branch with the length of up to one meter. This is a very expensive orchid, valued from several millions of dong to tens of millions of dong for each bunch of flowers.

Peach blossom

Hundreds of types of flowers, including peach blossoms, are available at the Quang An Night Market in Hanoi.

Peach tree sellers said the market is busier this year than last year, and the selling prices are higher.

A small peach tree is priced at VND80,000-100,000, while a medium-size is VND250,000-300,000 and a large one VND2-4 million.

While the trading of planted forest peach trees is stuck because of the requirement on traceability, people are rushing to buy plum blossom for decoration. A small plum tree has the price of VND600,000, while a large one is VND1-3 million.

Australian crab price halved

Flowers and ornamental trees sourced from China are overwhelming Vietnamese flowers at traditional and online markets. Japanese orchids are selling like hotcakes despite high prices.

Tasmania crab appeared in Vietnam for the first time in 2017. It was very expensive, priced at VND6-7.5 million per kilogram, or triple Alaska crab. The smallest Tasmania crab weighed 3 kilogram, valued at VND20 million.

But the price is just 50 percent this year, at VND3-4 million per kilogram (2.5-7 kilogram per crab). In order to enjoy the specialty, wealthy people have to pay no less than VND10 million for each crab.

Dragon fruit prices fall

Farmers in Long An province, the dragon fruit metropolis of Mekong Delta, where there are 12,000 hectares of growing area, are concerned as the prices have fallen sharply compared to the year before.

Tien Phong reported that the price was VND20,000-30,000 per kilogram the same time last year, but the price is just half this year.

Fruit prices in Mekong Delta drop

Nguoi Lao Dong reported that unlike previous years, the sale of specialty fruits in Mekong Delta is unsatisfactory this Tet sale season. The supply is plentiful, but the purchasing power is very weak.

First-class Lo Ren star apple is selling at VND32,000 per kilogram, red flesh pomelo VND37,000, watermelon VND6,000-10,000 per kilogram and dragon fruit VND10,000-15,000.

Air ticket prices fall

Air tickets for flights on the backbone route of HCM City – Hanoi have decreased sharply after many Covid-19 infection cases in the community were discovered in northern provinces.

According to Zing, the return tickets on HCM City – Hanoi route with departure on February 10 and return on February 16 have become record cheap. The passengers booking tickets in late December 2020 had to pay VND2 million more per ticket than now.

Since many families in Hanoi chose to spend Tet holiday on Phu Quoc Island, air tickets from Hanoi to Phu Quoc are even more expensive than tickets from HCM City to Hanoi.

Carp-shaped floating cake for worship. of Kitchen Gods

Instead of worshipping Ong Cong Ong Tao (Kitchen Gods) with real fish or paper fish, many Hanoians have decided to worship floating cakes with carp shape with a green bean filling.

Carp-shaped floating cake is made of glutinous rice flour and natural vegetables and fruits to create colors.

“We choose to worship with floating cakes or cakes made of glutinous rice. It is more convenient. We live in an apartment and it would be dangerous if burning the offering,” Thuy, a woman in Hanoi, explained. 

Hanh Nguyen

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