Earn a lot of money from selling bamboo to make Tet poles

Since the rise of industrial products, weaving villages have gradually declined, rattan and bamboo are no longer used as much as before, so the prices are quite cheap. However, in recent years, thanks to the movement of planting bamboo poles to celebrate Tet, the prices of these plants have increased at the end of the lunar year.

People choose to buy bamboo to make flagpoles in Bai Son commune, Do Luong district. Photo: Huy Thu

This year, since the middle of the 12th lunar month in Do Luong district, people have been busy hunting and looking for bamboo, hop, and sewing to make poles to celebrate Tet. Families with bamboo are at ease, not worrying about lacking trees to make poles, but those without bamboo have to ask for or buy. Due to the rapidly increasing demand for bamboo to make poles, many people have "changed jobs" to trade bamboo and hop.

A flagpole selling point along National Highway 7, Do Luong district. Photo: Huy Thu

Coming to Do Luong during the days before Tet, on both sides of National Highway 7, National Highway 46 and provincial roads in Do Luong district, there are many places selling bamboo and hop; according to the sellers, they bought bamboo in large quantities, then cut it down to sell retail.

A young man selling bamboo in Van Son commune said that his group went all the way to Anh Son district to buy a car and luckily needed to bring it back to sell along National Highway 7 to passersby. The wholesale price of bamboo in a bush is only a few tens of thousands of VND per tree, but a beautiful tree can be sold at retail for around 100,000 VND.

People of Yen Son commune (Do Luong) buy bamboo to make flagpoles.

This year, the movement of planting bamboo poles to welcome Tet is more bustling than last year with the spirit of "every family plants bamboo poles", so the number of people trading bamboo is also quite large. Coming to Do Luong on this occasion, everywhere you go, you see people buying bamboo, transporting bamboo... Many people even bring carts to buy bamboo from far away to make bamboo poles.

The bamboo pole trade will last until Tet. Mr. Hoang Van Ty in Yen Phu hamlet, Yen Son commune said that each day, the bamboo selling point in the hamlet sells about 100 bamboo trees, earning more than 5 million VND.

People buy bamboo to make flagpoles in Van Son commune, Do Luong district. Photo: Huy Thu

Ms. Dao Thi Ha in Hamlet 9, Bai Son Commune happily said that her house has some bushes of hop and may can (a small type of bamboo), and in recent days many people have come to buy them to make poles. "All year round no one asked, but near Tet people came to buy bamboo in droves, thanks to this bamboo sale, the family also earned a few million dong to spend on Tet.

From the general movement, on this occasion, many Youth Union organizations in communes and hamlets of Do Luong district also mobilized forces and organized bamboo trading to raise funds such as the Youth Union of Thuan Son, Van Son, Hien Son communes...; each unit also sold several hundred bamboo trees, earning 2 - 3 million VND for the fund.

A "complete" flagpole is sold for 300,000 - 400,000 VND. Photo: Huy Thu

Not only do bamboo growers and traders benefit, but grocery stores selling electrical appliances and decorations also have the opportunity to "take advantage". The number of LED lights, LED strings, lanterns... that go with the pole are also consumed more strongly. Many places also offer "full package pole making" services, buyers only need to buy and set up the pole to have a full set of national flags and beautiful LED string lanterns with prices ranging from 300,000 - 400,000 VND/pole.

The movement of planting bamboo poles to welcome Tet not only restores the ancient beauty of our ancestors, but also brings many services that bring income to many people during the Lunar New Year.