Peach growers in Kim Thanh (Yen Thanh) reap huge profits this Tet season.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approached, we visited a peach blossom growing village in Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Along the low hillsides stretched a vast "forest" of peach blossoms displaying their vibrant colors, and cars from all over had flocked to the orchards to transport the blossoms.

Mr. Nguyen Van Son, a resident of Dong Ban hamlet, Kim Thanh commune, who has been involved in growing peach blossoms for decades, said: Currently, his family's peach orchard has over 1,000 trees, of which nearly 700 will be sold this year. Most of the peach trees are planted and sold in a staggered manner; after each Tet season, the sold trees are replaced with new ones to prepare for the following seasons.

Every year, as the Lunar New Year approaches, traders often come directly to the orchards to buy peach blossoms, or families transport them themselves to markets to sell to customers. This year, peach blossoms are fetching good prices, with beautiful trees costing 1-2 million VND, and smaller trees 500,000-800,000 VND. From the 20th to the 26th of the lunar month, the orchard has sold over 500 peach blossom trees, with an expected revenue of over 350 million VND.

According to Mr. Son, it usually takes about 2-3 years from seedling to sale for a peach blossom tree. To have beautiful peach blossom trees, growers must meticulously care for the trees and know the techniques to shape them to meet customer demands, especially in harsh weather conditions.

Peach trees are susceptible to frost and severe cold, so people must closely monitor the weather to take timely measures to prevent and combat the cold. Peach trees are highly dependent on the weather, so growers must always time the leaf removal process carefully. If the weather is cold, they must remove the leaves earlier, while sunny weather allows them to do so later, aiming for the peach blossoms to bloom precisely for the Lunar New Year.

Mr. Chu Van Le, from Dong Ban hamlet, who was digging up peach tree roots for customers, said: "My family has over 800 peach trees. So far, traders have bought nearly 600 beautiful trees. They then bring trucks to transport them to Vinh and Thanh Hoa for sale. This year, the estimated revenue is over 200 million VND."

Besides selling peach trees, some households in Kim Thanh commune also offer a service of renting entire peach trees. The rental price varies depending on the shape of the tree, averaging from 3 to 5 million VND per tree.

After harvesting the peaches, farmers graft some of the peach trees onto the orchards in preparation for the following year.

According to Mr. Phan Tat Mau, Chairman of the Kim Thanh Commune People's Committee, the cultivation of peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year) in Kim Thanh commune has existed for decades and has now become a local tradition. Currently, over 200 households in the commune invest in peach blossom cultivation, covering a total area of ​​nearly 26 hectares. Many households have boldly switched from growing other crops such as acacia and cassava, or utilized their home gardens to cultivate peach blossoms, contributing to increased income.

This year, peach blossoms are fetching good prices. To date, the entire commune has sold over 70% of its peach blossom crop, expected to bring in over 3.5 billion VND in revenue. Many households in Kim Thanh commune earn between 200 and 300 million VND per Tet peach blossom season, contributing to improving their lives and creating wealth in the local area.