Should I buy 'hibernating' azaleas to display during Tet?

Near Tet, a new product has appeared on the market that has attracted a lot of attention, called dormant azaleas. For only about 100,000 - 200,000 VND/bunch depending on the type, buyers are advertised to have a beautiful vase of flowers that will last for up to a month to celebrate Tet.

Ms. Huyen, a flower seller on Hoang Hoa Tham Street (Ba Dinh, Hanoi), said she had just imported about 30 bunches of dormant azaleas to test sell because she saw that many people bought the products sold online.

According to the advertisement, dormant azaleas are imported from China mainly through unofficial channels. China has large farms that grow this type of flower. The flowers will be harvested and dried to “hibernate”. Many sellers, including Ms. Huyen, do not know what technology is used to dry the flowers.

After being imported to Vietnam through unofficial channels, the flowers are completely dry and divided into bunches of 40-50 branches/bundle. Sellers often advertise the process of “revival” after hibernation of this flower as follows: Just put it in water, the dried flower branches will absorb water, bloom after one night and bloom the following days. A week later, the flowers will bloom the most and most beautifully. Initially, the flowers are light purple, later, they become darker and can be displayed for a month.

Regarding the selling price, each bunch is sold for about 100,000 - 200,000 VND depending on the type. Mr. Manh Cuong (Cau Giay district) revealed that the wholesale price of this type of flower imported from China is about 60,000 VND/bunch (including shipping costs). The owner can sell wholesale or retail at different prices.

Regarding the consumption situation, Ms. Huyen said that she had just tried it but in just the first morning, she had sold more than half of the 30 bunches. Most of the customers had researched in advance so they knew the characteristics of this type of flower. Meanwhile, Mr. Cuong said that he planned to import a batch of about 300 bunches to Vietnam but they had all been pre-ordered.

Ms. Nguyen Bich (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) said she bought this flower and saw that it bloomed without any unpleasant smell. According to her, spending 100,000-200,000 VND to have a beautiful vase of flowers for the whole month is reasonable. Ms. Nguyen Hong (Cau Giay District) bought the flower because she found it beautiful. She bought 2 bunches to put in the living room and on the desk at work.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that it is the long-lasting freshness, "hibernation" and then "resurrection" characteristics that make many people choose azaleas.

According to Mr. Thinh, rhododendron is a species that cannot be grown in all regions of China. Therefore, when grown on a large scale, businesses can process it after harvest, thereby making it easy to transport and consume in many different regions.

The image of azaleas blooming in hibernation was shared by a Facebook sales page.

Mr. Thinh mentioned freeze-drying technology that has been widely applied in many countries.

When rhododendrons are freeze-dried, the water content of the plant gradually decreases but the cell properties remain the same. The plant then slowly “goes dormant” and looks like dry wood.

To preserve the flowers for a long time, Mr. Thinh also said that the processor used SO2 gas to eliminate mold and harmful bacteria that could reduce the quality of the flower branches. SO2 is a toxic gas but is only used as a chemical to kill bacteria and mold.

“Just like dishwashing liquid, it is not drinkable and is toxic. But it helps make the dishes cleaner. And the dishes after washing are completely not toxic by the dishwashing liquid. The process of fumigating flowers with SO2 is the same,” said Mr. Thinh.

Mr. Thinh affirmed that flowers are just for fun and viewing, so they do not affect human health. He also said that the above preservation technology is quite popular in Vietnam and around the world.

According to Dr. Dang Van Dong, Deputy Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the fumigation of SO2 gas to disinfect bacteria and fungi requires reviewing how long it is fumigated and what the concentration is before concluding whether it is toxic or not. He said that we need to be careful in our assessment and need to consider more specifically the dormant azaleas, a new Tet product this year.