Image: Wild peach transported from mountains to the delta

Ten days before the Lunar New Year, thousands of wild peach trees and branches were carried by trucks and coaches from the northern mountain provinces of Lao Cai, Son La and Dien Bien to the cities of Hanoi, Hai Phong...

Ten days before the Lunar New Year, thousands of wild peach trees and branches were carried by trucks and coaches from the northern mountain provinces of Lao Cai, Son La and Dien Bien to the cities of Hanoi, Hai Phong...

Đào rừng tiền triệu rời miền núi về xuôi

Many traders from cities go to the mountain to buy wild peach. They often choose larger trees, then cut them into small branches. Big trees are priced from several up to VND20 million ($920) and small branches are from VND1 to VND5 million ($40-230).

Wild peach trees and branches are displayed along Highway 4D in Sa Pa, Lao Cai.

Many people from Quang Ninh and Hai Phong take container trucks to Sapa to transport wild peach.

The older and the bigger the trees are, the more expensive the price is.

Meanwhile in Moc Chau (Son La), many locals have begun transporting peach trees to cities. These trees are grown mainly in the villages of Ta On, Ta Lon, Nam Tom, Pa Then, and Ba Phach.

Wild peach trees and branches are available along Highway 6, the section from Moc Chau to Hoa Binh.

Many Hanoi tourists buy wild peach from Sapa.

Wild peach is favored for its natural beauty.

On Lac Long Quan street, Hanoi, thousands of wild peach trees and branches are waiting for a buyer.

Dozens of flower markets have opened in Hanoi. At the spring flower market on Hoang Minh Giam road in Thanh Xuan district on January 30, up to one third of the peach trees and branches at the market were wild peach.

Hundreds of ancient peach branches from the northwest mountains were displayed. Traders live in tents to sell wild peach 24/7.

A trader named Bui Van Thang from Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province said he had transported several hundreds of wild peach branches from Moc Chau (Son La province) to Hanoi.

The only ancient wild white peach tree from Tua Chua district of Dien Bien province.

"This tree is estimated to be 80 years old. It took us a lot of effort to take it from the high mountains to Hanoi but I can sell it to only VND3-VND4 million ($140-$180)," said the salesman Nguyen Ta Van from Dien Bien.