The vibrant rhythm of spring...
(Baonghean)This year, despite the economic difficulties, shopping demand is increasing daily in the final days of the year. To ensure sufficient supply for the Tet holiday market, traditional craft villages are also "speeding up" production day and night. The atmosphere of Tet is therefore even more vibrant...
Bustling with Tet flowers
In the chilly weather of the year-end, people working in the flower and ornamental plant cultivation industry in flower villages on the outskirts of the city, such as Trung My (Hung Dong), Kim Chi (Nghi An), and Hamlet 4 (Nghi Lien)... are busy with the various stages of caring for flowers to serve the Tet holiday. In Trung My flower village (Hung Dong district), many flower-growing households have boldly tried planting new varieties this year: Dutch lilies, tulips, mimosas, etc. Mr. Tran Ngoc Quyet, a flower grower in Trung My village, said: “Besides traditional flowers like chrysanthemums, peonies, and roses, this year my family has introduced new varieties. These are high-end flowers, so the prices will be higher, making them popular. To ensure we have beautiful flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year), from the end of September in the lunar calendar, we contacted garden owners in Hanoi and Da Lat to order seeds. For this Tet flower season, my family has invested over ten million dong in plastic bags, nets, growth stimulants, and alluvial soil to increase soil fertility, and over 45 million dong to buy 3000 lily bulbs to plant...”
People in Nghi An are tending to flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year).
The Lunar New Year is considered the peak season for flower-growing villagers. For a month leading up to Tet, every family member focuses on planting, caring for, and shaping the flowers, striving to produce the most beautiful and vibrant potted plants in time for sale. On average, each Tet flower season brings in a profit of ten million dong for smaller families, while larger ones can earn hundreds of millions of dong. Besides growing flowers, many traders in the village also source high-end ornamental plants and flowers from Hanoi, Nam Dinh, and Da Lat to supply the market. Many households also grow small potted plants for home decoration, such as ornamental perilla, kalanchoe, and cacti. Around the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, the villagers are busy transporting flowers to the city for sale, beautifying homes as Tet approaches and spring arrives.
These days, bookstores, supermarkets, wholesale markets, and traders throughout the province are selling dried flowers in various materials and styles, with prices ranging from 70,000 VND to over a million VND. Besides the usual potted and vased arrangements, unique styles are attracting buyers during Tet. Flowers are arranged in plastic baskets shaped like bicycles or motorcycles; pots of apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, and tulips made of special rubber material, looking very soft and vibrant like real flowers, cost between 300,000 and 1,200,000 VND per pot (depending on size). Ms. Nguyen Quynh Tram, owner of the dried flower stall at kiosk 26, Vinh Market, said: “It’s only the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, but many people have already come to buy flowers to decorate their homes. The technology for making artificial flowers has improved, with many beautiful materials and designs attracting customers. Besides potted flowers, various types of decorative flower garlands for railings and windows are also popular choices. This Tet holiday, our store has imported nearly 300 million VND worth of goods, and many distributors in the districts have already bought wholesale from us to resell…”
This year, making artificial flowers from voile fabric is becoming a trend among young people. Many stalls selling voile flowers have sprung up near the gates of universities and colleges in the city. Most of the stall owners are students; they import the materials, make and arrange the flowers themselves, and then sell them. In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), many students order these as gifts for their families, so the stall owners have to hire additional part-time staff.
The craft village is bustling with activity...
For those from Nghe An province living far from home, after returning for Tet (Lunar New Year), they often bring back gifts from their hometown to give to friends and colleagues for the New Year. These might include boxes of Thanh Chuong pickled bamboo shoots, Quy Chau sour bamboo shoots, a dozen Vinh village rice crackers, or bags of crispy peanut candy from Dong Nhat village (Hung Chau, Hung Nguyen). Therefore, as Tet approaches, the traditional craft villages become increasingly bustling with preparations. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (Vinh village, Thanh Chuong) said: “From the beginning of December in the lunar calendar, many families have come to order cakes as gifts for their children and grandchildren returning home for Tet. The cakes made as gifts are also ‘special’: thicker, with more sesame seeds, and better seasoning. The households making cakes in the village prepare their orders months in advance because during that time, the cakes are sun-dried, making them more fragrant and delicious. At the end of the year, the cold, rainy weather makes it difficult to produce good cakes…” The stacks of rice crackers, stored in the stalls since July and August, are now brought out by the women, tied together in dozens or hundreds in fresh banana leaves, and pressed down with heavy objects to "compress" them into smaller, more compact packs that are easy to put into backpacks or bags.
These days, the Dong Nhat peanut candy village is bustling with the sounds of candy-cutting machines, the rhythmic stirring of honey, and the clinking of cellophane wrapping paper. Hung Chau peanut candy is also a popular choice as a gift for friends and colleagues far away. To prepare enough goods for Tet (Lunar New Year), families in the village start their ovens at midnight to cook candy. Currently, out of 103 households in the village, 70 are engaged in the craft of making rice crackers and peanut candy. Many families have built their own brands from this candy-making trade, such as Hong Phu peanut candy from Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tung's family; Ha Thinh peanut candy... The candy-making village operates year-round, but the peak season is from the 12th to the 3rd lunar month, considered the "campaign season" because it's the festival season, and the number of orders increases dramatically. In the last month of the year alone, each processing facility produces an average of 2-3 quintals of candy per day.
An indispensable appetizer on the Tet (Lunar New Year) feast table is a glass of glutinous rice wine. As Tet approaches, Nghi An wine-making village becomes even busier. Nghi An glutinous rice wine is brewed using traditional methods, so even with a relatively high alcohol content (around 50 to 55 degrees), it remains smooth, fragrant, and absolutely does not cause headaches… Nghi An wine has become a popular "brand." While on ordinary days, households in Nghi An only brew one batch of wine and one batch of rice, during Tet, each household brews 20-30 kg of glutinous rice to meet demand, with each batch selling out quickly. Those living far away have to place orders a week in advance.
Throughout the craft villages, everyone is bustling with activity, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Tet (Lunar New Year). Craft products are carried by those who have left their hometowns to all corners of the country, so besides expanding the reach of their brands, the Tet season provides a favorable opportunity for traditional craft villages to thrive, while also preserving the unique cultural characteristics of these regions.
Thanh Phuc
