Ho Chi Minh City: Customers spend hundreds of millions to rent bonsai to display for a few days of Tet, delivered overnight

The flower and ornamental plant market begins during the peak of Tet. During this time, some people spend hundreds of millions to rent ornamental apricot trees to display for a few days, and the gardeners deliver them overnight to make sure they are on time.

TP.HCM: Khách chi trăm triệu thuê mai kiểng chưng vài ngày Tết, giao ngay trong đêm - Ảnh 1. — Bonsai apricot pots are rented for 150 million VND - Photo: BONG MAI

Spending hundreds of millions to rent bonsai to display for a few days of Tet

Before Tet, Gia Dinh Park flower market (Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) is constantly lit up, with traders from many districts of Ho Chi Minh City and many regions coming to trade.

Besides small apricot pots priced from 120,000 - 200,000 VND, many retailers also sell apricot pots priced from several million to billions of VND.

Right at the display area of Thanh Pham's apricot garden (from District 12), many workers carefully tied up bonsai pots numbered 99, which were being placed on a three-wheeled vehicle, ready to be transported to private customers in District 7.

The garden owner said this apricot tree costs 900 million VND, has a canopy of 2.3 - 2.5m, and is available for rent from this weekend until January 9, for 150 million VND.

For customers renting large pots of apricot blossoms, in addition to the person in charge of transporting the apricot blossoms, the gardener must also send 4-5 people to carry the apricot blossoms from the vehicle to the area that needs to be decorated in the customer's home or company.

TP.HCM: Khách chi trăm triệu thuê mai kiểng chưng vài ngày Tết, giao ngay trong đêm - Ảnh 2. — Mai garden staff bring extra tools to transport large bonsai pots - Photo: BONG MAI

Also selling apricot blossoms at the flower market, Mr. Vo Phuoc Tinh predicts that this year the evening of the 27th, the 28th and the morning of the 29th will be the peak selling period for Tet. Around noon on the 29th, his company will start packing up and taking the goods to the garden.

This year, the garden he works in has brought about 30 large apricot pots to the park to sell, and if the situation is stable, more will be added. Prices range from 40 to 70 million VND, with some pots costing about 500 million VND. Depending on the age, size and shape of the roots, trunk, canopy, number of petals, how the apricot buds and blooms...

In addition to buying the whole pot, customers can rent it for Tet display. The rental price is 10 - 15% of the purchase price.

TP.HCM: Khách chi trăm triệu thuê mai kiểng chưng vài ngày Tết, giao ngay trong đêm - Ảnh 3. — Mr. Vo Minh Trung (District 12) helps an acquaintance sell bonsai apricot flowers to earn extra income during Tet - Photo: BONG MAI

Flower pots attract customers with prices starting from just a few tens of thousands of dong.

Many traders said that if last year on the evening of the 25th and morning of the 26th of Tet, the number of flowers was "sold out", this year the situation is selling slowly. Many people walk around and ask for prices.

"These last two days (26th and 27th of Tet - reporter) many people in the city have the day off from work. They are starting to buy more than the previous days," said Mr. Nguyen Duy Phong.

This year, Mr. Phong brought two carts of goods to the flower market, including kumquat trees, apricot blossoms, bougainvillea, etc. These flowers are carefully tended, from the garden in Cho Lach (Ben Tre).

Besides high-value flowers, many retailers also sell pots priced from 30,000 VND such as: lavender, red cockscomb, multi-colored chrysanthemums...

"The price is quite affordable. No, very cheap! I bought a total of 6 pots at once, it's a brilliant Tet atmosphere," said Ms. Nguyen Hai Yen (37 years old, Binh Thanh district).

To serve customers during the peak Tet season, vendors at Ho Thi Ky flower market (District 10), "On the wharf under the boat" flower market - Ben Binh Dong (District 8), Dam Sen flower market (District 11), Tao Dan spring flower market, flower market at 23-9 park (District 1)... also keep their lights on all night.