The bustling cherry blossom season

(Baonghean) - As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, peach blossom growers become increasingly anxious, hoping for favorable weather conditions for a bountiful harvest... This is also the peak season for peach blossom traders, although not every year is smooth and easy.

Anxious about the weather.

Never before has Mr. Chu Van Manh's family in Hong Lien hamlet, Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, longed for rain as much as this year. Visiting his house in the last days of the year, seeing the peach blossom trees, over a meter tall, beginning to bloom, he couldn't help but worry. Calculating that there's only a little over a week left until Tet (Lunar New Year), he said: "If it rains intermittently from now until Tet, it will be very good for the peach blossoms. But if it rains and gets cold for a few days, then the sun comes out, the peach blossoms will grow very quickly. At that point, no matter how you try to stop them, they will bloom anyway."

Although the native Kim Thanh peach blossom variety has existed for a long time, its cultivation has only developed significantly in the last 10 years. Characterized by its single flowers, less vibrant red than the Nhat Tan peach blossom, but with abundant blooms, a unique fragrance, and numerous young shoots, the Kim Thanh peach blossom is very attractive to customers both within and outside the province. To harvest peach blossoms for Tet (Lunar New Year), growers spend nearly a year preparing.

A peach orchard belonging to a family in Kim Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district).

Of these, the period from mid-October until the Lunar New Year is the most important because this is when weeding, pruning, and trimming are necessary to ensure the peach blossoms bloom at the right time for Tet. However, planting peach trees at any time doesn't always guarantee good fortune, as it depends heavily on the weather.

If the weather is favorable, peach growers can earn several hundred million dong each year. But if the peach blossoms bloom too early or too late, it's common to end up empty-handed. With 1,000 peach trees, double the number from last year, Mr. Manh said: "Growing peaches is 10 to 15 times more profitable than growing rice. If we sell them all this year, our family will definitely have a prosperous Tet holiday."

Thanks to favorable terrain and climate conditions, although the development is still relatively new, Kim Thanh commune already has over 300 households growing peach trees. Currently, the number of families growing peach trees is increasing every year, and sales remain relatively easy. Around Tet (Lunar New Year), peach growers are delighted as many traders come to buy entire orchards at higher prices than the previous year. The peach tree has truly become a "poverty alleviation" crop in the region, as it has helped many households escape poverty and even become wealthy.

If the weather stays sunny for the next few days, the peach blossoms will bloom in time for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). Photo: Thanh Nga - Khanh Ly.

In Nam Anh commune, Nam Dan district, peach trees are also a major source of income for many families. Mr. Ho Viet Ly's peach orchard in Hamlet 9, though only having a little over 50 trees, is thriving, with buds and green shoots. To ensure his family's peach trees bloom in time for the Lunar New Year, for more than two weeks now, Mr. Ho Viet Ly has been busy in his orchard, meticulously caring for and closely monitoring the trees.

“This time last year, due to the warm weather, many of our peach blossom trees bloomed a week earlier, reducing our family's income. This year, the weather is more favorable, promising beautiful blossoms right on time for the Lunar New Year. On average, each branch of peach blossoms sells for 200,000 - 300,000 VND during Tet, while the most beautiful trees can cost from 1 to 3 million VND. Usually, closer to Tet, peach blossom traders come to the garden to choose and buy. But for the most beautiful trees, many individuals come to the garden to place orders a month in advance.”

Nam Anh is a semi-mountainous commune where the people's economy mainly relies on growing crops. However, with the advantage of hilly land in hamlets 8 and 9 located at the foot of Dai Tue mountain, the soil is suitable for growing peach blossoms, so many households have been growing peach blossoms to supply the Tet holiday for many years. Some households grow as few as 5-7 trees in their gardens, while families with large areas of hilly land grow 30-80 trees. Currently, the entire Nam Anh commune has nearly 200 households growing peach blossoms on an area of ​​nearly 40 hectares.

Peach trees in Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: My Ha.

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Quang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Anh commune, said: "The peach blossoms of Nam Anh commune are known for their beauty and have been very popular with people during Tet for many years. Therefore, peach growers are not worried about the market demand, but only about whether the weather each year will be favorable for the peach blossoms to bloom at the right time for the Lunar New Year."

Although not a primary crop, the economic benefits from growing peach blossoms in Nam Anh commune are substantial, with many households earning 40-60 million VND per orchard per year. In the future, the Nam Anh commune government will continue to direct households to expand the area under peach blossom cultivation, while actively promoting and building the Nam Anh peach blossom brand to further increase the economic income of local people.”

Bringing spring to every home.

From around the 20th day of the 12th lunar month, Muong Xen town (Ky Son district) is covered in peach blossoms, with hundreds of peach trees brought from the communes of Muong Long, My Ly, and Huoi Tu, and also imported from Laos. Among them, Ky Son peach trees are famous for their mossy, gnarled appearance, also known as "stone peach." Besides their large, beautiful flowers, Ky Son peach trees attract visitors with their mossy, rough texture, characteristic of the mountainous region.

Previously, Ky Son peach blossoms were quite exclusive. But in recent years, they have become very popular not only among people in the province but also in other provinces and cities. To meet this demand, during the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), in addition to hunting for peach blossoms in the surrounding communes, peach blossom traders also travel to Nong Het and Xieng Khouang provinces (Laos) to "hunt" for Tet peach blossoms to bring back.

Recounting his experiences crossing the border to trade peach blossoms, Mr. Huong, a long-time peach blossom trader, shared: "Previously, we used to go to each household, select each peach blossom tree, and then hire a truck to bring them back to Ky Son. But recently, Laotian people have become aware of the Vietnamese tradition of enjoying peach blossoms, so as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, they already cut down peach blossom trees and display them for sale all along the roads. We just need to go there to choose, as long as it's a fair deal."

After being gathered in Muong Xen, peach blossom trees are bought by traders in Vinh and other northern provinces to be sold to urban residents for Tet (Lunar New Year). Each beautiful branch of peach blossom trees usually costs from 1 to 3 million VND. However, some large, original trees can cost up to tens of millions of VND. During the period leading up to Tet, dozens of trucks carrying peach blossom trees from the mountainous regions arrive every day.

Besides that, many people also take advantage of business trips to buy a peach blossom branch to display during Tet. In Vinh City, finding a peach blossom branch is not too difficult. However, the price is usually higher, ranging from one to several million dong, or even tens of millions of dong. In addition to selling peach blossom branches, some peach blossom traders in Nghi An and Nghi Duc areas even go as far as Sapa and Hoa Binh to buy peach blossoms.

Most of the customers are regulars. Sometimes, even when the flowers have just arrived, some have already been pre-ordered one or two months in advance. This year, traders have brought in a considerable amount of peach blossoms from Nhat Tan (Hanoi), in various shapes and price ranges. These days, flower markets throughout the country are overflowing with peach blossoms, giving consumers many choices for the Lunar New Year of the Monkey 2017.

My Ha