Tu Lien in Tay Ho District, Hanoi, is a familiar place for many locals every Tet holiday.

In the past, the village was a rich land but it has not been exploited to its full potential. People here mainly grow crops such as corn, potatoes, peanuts, and cassava. After the Renovation Period, Tu Lien developed into a kumquat village, about 30 years ago.

Tu Lien kumquat trees are famous for their unique and eye-catching shapes. Every Tet (Lunar New Year), many people are willing to pay from a few million to tens of millions of dong to buy a tree for their home.

Tu Lien kumquat trees are famous for their unique and eye-catching shapes. — VNS Photos Bao Ngoc

In the past few years, gardeners here have come up with the idea of planting kumquats in vases, porcelain statues, or art ceramic pots to meet the needs of customers.

These small plants are only about 80 - 120cm tall, suitable for narrow spaces of apartments or offices. The shape and pot of the plant can be customised by the gardener based on the age and preferences of the owner.

This year, bonsai kumquat trees called ‘Thuận buồm xuôi gió’ (Smooth Sailing) and ‘Mã đáo thành công’ (Win Instant Success) are the most sought after trees ahead of Tet.

Hoang Van Luan, owner of Hoang Gia Garden is one of the pioneers to grow this type of kumquat in Tu Lien.

According to Luan, these kumquat trees are specially designed by artisans for the Lunar New Year. They are planted in artistic pots to bring a new year of luck and peace to the owner.

This decorative tree also symbolises Tu Lien craft village's desire to bring bonsai kumquats to the "big sea" and reach more customers, he said.

Luan said that it takes years for gardeners to grow decorative plants.

“The most difficult and time-consuming step is shaping the kumquats and taking care of them so that they can bear fruit in time for Tet,” he said.

Luan also revealed that, in previous years, kumquat trees were often planted in porcelain pots with shapes corresponding to the zodiac animals of each year but this Tet, everything had changed.

"2022 is the year of the Tiger and according to Vietnamese culture, no one wants to bring a tiger into their house, especially in the new year, so we do not plant kumquats in a tiger-shaped pot this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, mini bonsai kumquat trees grown in small flowerpots are chosen by many customers, especially young people because of their low price and small size.

Nguyen Quynh Anh, 30, a customer living in Hanoi told Việt Nam News, this year she decided to buy a mini tree as a gift for her friends.

“These mini plants are perfect for desk display. They also have strong vitality and can be grown indoors so I think my friends will love it,” she said. 

An indispensable part of Tet

This year, despite the pandemic, gardens in Tu Lien still have a lot of pre-orders. On weekends, hundreds of locals come here to buy kumquat trees for their homes during Tet.

Nguyen Thi Ha, a seller, told Việt Nam News that most of the kumquats in her garden, which are in good shape, were ordered one or two months ago.

“There were customers coming here to choose kumquat trees from a few months ago. After choosing a tree that they like, the customer will leave it for us to take care of. It wasn't until about a week before Tet that they returned to the garden to pick up their trees,” she said.

At Nguyen Tien's garden, 500 out of 600 kumquat trees were sold out in three weeks before Tet.

Tien said that many people still came to his garden to buy kumquats because they believed that a beautiful tree would bring prosperity to the owner in the new year.

“Kumquat and peach trees are indispensable things in Vietnamese houses during Tet. It is believed that the more fruits there are on a kumquat tree, the more luck will come to the owner. So even though people are not making much money this year, they are still trying to buy a perfect kumquat tree for their home,” he said.

Kumquat trees are an indispensable part of Tet. With the creativity of Tu Lien gardeners, they have become more and more unique in shape, bringing bright and radiant spring colours to everyone.

Hoang Van Luan is one of the pioneers to grow this type of kumquat in Tu Lien.

‘Smooth Sailing’ kumquat trees are believed to bring peace to their owners.

Bonsai kumquat trees are suitable for the narrow spaces of apartments or offices.

A mini bonsai kumquat tree. — VNS Photos Bao Ngoc

Bonsai kumquat trees grown in small flowerpots are chosen by many young people.

Source: Vietnam News

Tu Lien kumquat village prepares for Tet holiday

Located in Tay Ho District of Hanoi, Tu Lien Village has been bustling in recent days with many local people coming to order kumquat trees ahead of the Lunar New Year festival or Tet.

Golden buffalo carrying kumquat tree, a decorative product for 2021

At the present time, the kumquat gardeners in Tu Lien (Tay Ho District, Hanoi) are busy preparing bonsai products such as peaches, kumquat to serve the Lunar New Year celebration.