200 million VND for an imported pine tree
Christmas is approaching, which is also the time when the market for decorative pine trees is blooming with many different types, from fake trees made of paper, plastic to branches or even fresh pine trees... Among them, the most "luxurious" are imported fresh pine trees with "sky-high" prices, which are being advertised widely, serving rich customers.
Ms. Do Thi Mai, manager of the Lux Flowers store chain specializing in providing imported fresh flowers, said that the fresh pine trees imported to Vietnam mainly come from Russia and Denmark.
This type of pine tree also has many prices, depending on the size and height of each tree; the bigger and taller the tree, the more expensive it is. This year, the most expensive imported pine tree sold by Lux Flowers was nearly 200 million VND, serving a customer in Hanoi. This price does not include decoration costs.
Fresh pine imported from Denmark to Vietnam. (Photo: Lux Flowers)
However, Ms. Mai said that the store only imports a modest number of “giant” pine trees, 5 to 7 meters high, because their high price is not suitable for the majority of customers. The most imported and sold type is the cut-branch tree (35 to 130 cm high), used to decorate tables or small rooms. This type is popular with prices ranging from 1 to 6 million VND/branch. “ Currently, all imported pine trees have been sold out ,” Ms. Mai said.
In particular, Ms. Mai affirmed that if it is an imported pine tree, there will definitely be documents proving its origin, which the store can provide almost immediately when requested by the customer. " Therefore, no matter where you buy it, customers should ask the store to prove the origin of each imported pine tree, so as not to be fooled when buying fake or counterfeit goods ," she advised.
However, Ms. Mai also advised on the most recognizable feature so that customers can distinguish imported pine from domestic pine, which is that imported pine trees have no roots, only trunks and branches.
“ There are two types of imported pine: Nordmann Fir and Nobilis. Nordmann Fir has a straight trunk, even and very soft foliage. This is also a type of imported pine that is popular with many customers because in addition to being beautiful, it is not afraid of being scratched by sharp pine needles, so it is very safe for children. Nobilis pine has hard leaves, sparser foliage, but the trunk is also straight and beautiful. The foliage is covered with a layer of silver powder that is only found in Northern Europe. In addition, the common feature of these two imported pine lines is that they have a very strong natural fragrance, because the tree trunk has a large amount of essential oils.
Pine trees from Da Lat or from China are often sold in the Vietnamese market with both trunk and roots. Because of unsuitable climate and soil conditions, the trunk is often crooked and the foliage is uneven like pine trees imported from Northern Europe. The fragrance emitted cannot be compared to imported pine trees ,” said Ms. Mai.
Air waybill documents of pine trees imported to Vietnam from Denmark. (Photo: NVCC)
In addition to Lux Flower, some other stores in Hanoi also sell imported pine branches with common prices ranging from 4 - 86 million VND/branch depending on size.
Meanwhile, a shop on Hoang Hoa Tham Street (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) specializes in selling imported mini pine trees, priced at several million VND. Explaining this "soft" price, the shop owner said that he bought the pine trees from units specializing in importing ornamental plants. However, after importing from Denmark and Siberia, the trees will be grown and nurtured in gardens in Moc Chau (Son La), where the climate is low, quite suitable for foreign pine trees that prefer the cold.
“ When customers want to buy and place orders, we will ship them from Moc Chau to sell, because the trees are difficult to preserve in the hot and humid climate. Because the trees are grown in Moc Chau for a period of time, they are no longer “100% genuine” imported trees, so the price is cheaper and the store usually does not need to provide import documents or plant quarantine regulations ,” he said.
A mini pine tree imported from Denmark but raised in Moc Chau, costs about 2 million VND. (Photo: Minh Duc)
The origin of foreign Christmas trees on the "online market" is unclear.
Not only in the market but also on the “online market”, pine trees advertised as originating from Northern Europe are being sold at prices ranging from several million to several tens of million VND per tree. However, when asked for documents to prove their origin, many places could not provide them, and the sellers even replied “nothing”.
" We have been selling for 6 years, so regular customers can tell the difference, " said a seller.
An address selling imported fresh pine trees but without documents proving their origin. (Screenshot)
Similarly, a nickname advertised an imported Christmas tree for sale, but when asked about the documents proving the origin of the tree, the seller answered evasively: " This tree is imported from Northern Europe, but there are no documents because it has gone through many intermediaries. Don't worry, we sell very high quality products ." This ambiguous answer made Ms. Linh wonder about the true origin of the tree she was planning to buy, so she stopped her plan. "I don't feel secure spending tens of millions to buy a product of unknown origin, and I don't think it's worth it. I will switch to buying directly, even though it takes a little more time, but choosing the tree with my own eyes is still more certain ," she said.
Similarly, Mr. Minh (in Thanh Tri, Hanoi) also encountered a similar situation when he tried to buy an imported pine tree online. When asking about the documents proving its origin, he received an unclear answer from the seller: " This pine tree is a special type, imported from Northern Europe but has no documents because the import process is complicated. You just need to look at the quality of the tree to know right away ." The ambiguity in the information made Mr. Minh feel insecure and decided not to buy this product: " If the origin cannot be proven, how can it be confirmed that it is an imported tree and force the buyer to pay such a large fee? ", he wondered.
Ms. Thu Lan (in Hanoi) said that she just bought a real pine tree for her agency for 10 million VND to decorate the office space for Christmas, to create a difference and newness after many years of playing with fake pine trees. The pine tree was introduced by the seller as imported from Denmark, guaranteed to last throughout the holiday season.
However, just over a week after purchase, the tree began to show signs of yellowing leaves, drooping canopy, and loss of vitality. In particular, Ms. Lan also did not smell the characteristic fragrance as advertised about imported pine trees. Only then did Ms. Lan suspect that she had bought a substandard product, most likely just domestic pine "labeled" as imported pine to push up the price.
“ Therefore, consumers who want to buy imported pine should be careful and should choose to buy at reputable addresses, with brands and documents proving clear origin, ” Ms. Lan advised.
Cong Hieu - Minh Duc
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