Small traders are struggling to sell off their peach blossoms after Tet.
After the Lunar New Year of 2026, hundreds of unsold peach blossom trees still remain on many streets in the former Vinh City area. The flowers have bloomed, some have shed their petals, and a few have even started to bear young fruit. Many small traders are forced to find ways to return or liquidate their stock to recoup some of their capital, bringing to a close a dismal business season.
Ms. Bui Thi Thong, a small business owner selling peach blossom trees for Tet (Lunar New Year) along the 72-meter road, said that this year her family imported about 300 peach blossom trees of various types, from small ornamental trees to valuable ancient trees. However, nearly 100 trees remain unsold at this time.
According to Ms. Thong, purchasing power during the period leading up to Tet this year is significantly slower than in previous years. “After New Year's Eve, we decided we had to quickly figure out how to sell the remaining stock. But because the flowers had bloomed profusely and wilted quickly after Tet, it was very difficult to sell them. From the second day of Tet, I proactively contacted the nurseries to return some of the goods, accepting deductions for transportation costs and losses to recover some of the capital, and also to return the premises as soon as possible,” Ms. Thong said.
Reportedly, peach blossom trees that were priced from 3-5 million VND before Tet (Lunar New Year) are now being sold off for only about 500,000-1,000,000 VND. Some large, ornamental peach blossom trees that were once offered for over 20 million VND are now being negotiated down to half, or even less, of that price.
Not far away, Mr. Tran Van Luc – another small trader selling peaches on Le Nin Avenue – was also busy making phone calls to discuss with orchard owners in Hai Phong and Hung Yen to agree on a plan for returning the goods.
Mr. Luc said that this year his family invested nearly 3 billion VND in importing ornamental peach trees, wild peach trees, and some types of apricot blossoms for sale. However, due to the warm weather, the peach blossoms bloomed earlier than expected, about 10-15 days, and many beautiful trees bloomed before the peak shopping season. "Many customers came to look, but few made purchases. After Tet, the flowers fall off, the trees sprout new leaves, so they are almost worthless for display. If we don't return them soon, the longer we keep them, the more the trees will deteriorate," he said.
According to Mr. Luc, there are currently several main options for dealing with leftover peach blossoms after Tet (Lunar New Year). Firstly, they could be sold off at a low price to recover some capital; however, since Tet is over, people no longer have a need for them. Secondly, they could be returned to the growers according to the original agreement, accepting a price reduction of 50-70%, in addition to covering the return transportation costs. Thirdly, they could be sent to other growers in the province for care so they can continue to be sold next year; however, this method carries the risk of pests and diseases, requiring them to start over from scratch.
"We're prioritizing the option of getting a refund. Even if it's a loss, it's better than letting the trees wither and die. Just the rent for the past month alone has been a significant amount," Mr. Luc sighed.
According to vendors, the sluggishness of this year's Tet peach blossom market stems from several factors. Firstly, the difficult economic situation has led to a decrease in income for some people, resulting in a growing trend towards frugal spending. Large, expensive peach blossom trees are therefore less popular than smaller, more affordable ones. Secondly, this year's supply is quite abundant. Besides peach blossoms imported from northern provinces, many peach-growing regions within the province are also supplying a large quantity to the market. This intense competition has led to an oversupply, while purchasing power has not increased proportionally.
Representatives from the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Vinh Phu ward stated that the local authorities have been disseminating information and reminding businesses to promptly clear and return the premises to their original state, ensuring urban aesthetics. They also encouraged small business owners to proactively develop solutions to prevent damaged trees from causing environmental pollution.
Given the sluggish market for ornamental plants this Tet holiday, many small traders say they will have to reconsider their business plans. Instead of importing large quantities, they will carefully survey demand and prioritize smaller, more affordable peach blossom varieties to suit people's budgets for future Tet seasons.
"This business is heavily dependent on the weather and the market. After this year's Lunar New Year season, we've learned our lesson: we need to reduce the scale of our operations and avoid investing too much capital. Hopefully, next year the economy will improve, and purchasing power will increase again so that peach blossom vendors won't have to struggle so much," said Ms. Bui Thi Thong.
