Bananas used for offerings during Tet (Lunar New Year) are selling well, at 300,000 VND per bunch.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van has had a fruit stall at Hung Dung Market in Vinh City for many years, selling seasonal fruits. And during Tet (Lunar New Year), she adds other items to her offerings.bunch of bananasServing as an incense burner.

"I went directly to the banana plantations in Tan Ky district to place orders. I started picking up the bananas on the 20th of the lunar month to sell gradually until the 30th of Tet. As in previous years, by today, the 25th of the lunar month, the price has started to increase many times compared to normal days, and there are quite a lot of buyers, so I had to mobilize my whole family to help. The average price per bunch of bananas is about 90,000 - 100,000 VND," said Ms. Van.

At local markets, along some roads, there are many cars carrying bananas for sale on the roadside. Ms. Tran Thi Nga from Trung Tien block, Hung Dung ward, after consulting and choosing bananas at many stalls, decided to buy a bunch of 17 bananas for 300,000 VND.

Ms. Nga said that she had researched many vendors and found that bananas originating from within the province were darker green and smaller than bananas imported by traders from other northern provinces, such as Phu Tho, Hung Yen, and Nam Dinh...

And as in previous years, even though the price was almost double that of other varieties, Ms. Nga still chose to buy individual, brightly colored bananas to offer to her ancestors.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Luan, who also imports bananas from Hung Yen to sell, added that bananas imported from the North have a brighter, more attractive color than those grown locally in Nghe An, possibly due to different varieties chosen by the farmers. Therefore, the price is also higher. And from now until the 30th of Tet (Lunar New Year), the price is likely to increase further.

"However, not all buyers know how to distinguish the origin of bananas. Darker green bananas turn a deep yellow when ripe, currently priced at around 80,000 - 100,000 VND per bunch. Lighter colored bananas, with large, uniform fruits, turn a beautiful bright yellow when ripe, currently selling for 120,000 - 150,000 VND per bunch. If the bunch has an odd number of bananas, the price ranges from 250,000 - 350,000 VND per bunch depending on size," Ms. Luan said.

In markets throughout Vinh City, besides the "royal banana" variety, there's also the "royal tribute banana," sold by weight, which is quite popular. "The royal tribute banana has perfectly round, ripe, golden-yellow, and firm flesh, with a rich, sweet flavor. It's imported from the South. Normally, it sells for 50-60 thousand dong/kg, but the price increases daily during Tet (Lunar New Year). A few days ago, it was 70-80 thousand dong/kg. Today, the 26th of the lunar month, it's 100 thousand dong/kg. Usually, a bunch of royal tribute bananas weighs about 1-2 kg," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a fruit vendor at Quan Lau Market in Vinh City.

In rural areas and district markets, the price of bananas used for offering incense during Tet (Lunar New Year) is more affordable, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 VND per bunch for the "royal" variety. The price of "small" bananas is even lower, ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 VND per bunch.