Black plum and Dien grapefruit sold out at Tet market

Many customers choose to buy Dien grapefruit because of its beautiful color and sweetness. Photo by Tran Dinh Ha

Starting from the 20th of Tet, Thanh Chuong district organized a flower market in the town center. The closer to Tet, the more bustling the buying and selling atmosphere. Thanks to the centralized market, flowers and ornamental plants are divided into lots, making buying and selling easier and more convenient.

In general, this year there are many kinds of flowers and ornamental plants. From kumquat, Nhat Tan peach, peach blossom, peach tree to oranges and tangerines. From cheap ones at only 5,000 VND/tree to expensive ones like grapefruit trees and peach trees costing 5-6 million VND.

Dien grapefruit trees grown using bonsai techniques have just appeared this year. Photo: Tran Dinh Ha

In addition to peach, kumquat and other ornamental plants imported from Hanoi and the northern provinces, this year’s Thanh Chuong flower market saw the appearance of booths from the Youth Agricultural Cooperative selling specialties produced and grown by local people. The most notable of these are salted black plums and Dien grapefruit.

Black canarium fruit weighing 800g, 1,280g, labeled and inspected and certified by authorities for quality. There is only one production facility in the area, leading to a shortage of supply.

Thanh Chuong black plums are sold at the Tet market. Photo: Tran Dinh Ha

Along with black plum, Dien grapefruit is also a very popular specialty. Unlike Dien grapefruit brought from the North and grown on alluvial soil, Thanh Chuong Dien grapefruit is grown on feralit soil, so it has a darker yellow color and is sweeter. This grapefruit is mainly taken from Ho Sy Phuong's farm in Hamlet 5, Thanh Lien Commune and some farms in the area. Although the supply is abundant, the large number of buyers has led to a shortage of goods.

Tulips appearing at the market for the first time also attracted many customers. Photo: Tran Dinh Ha

Mr. Dau Ba Hiep - a member of Thanh Nien Thanh Chuong Agricultural Cooperative - who took over management and sales here, said: "After 1 week of implementation, the Cooperative has sold nearly 2,000 grapefruits and 500 jars of canarium. The supply is not enough to serve. In addition to the two main products, canarium and Dien grapefruit, the Cooperative also sells dong leaves, lilies, especially tulips (Netherlands). Because it sells unique products, the number of buyers is very large, the unit will continue to mobilize goods to serve consumers until the evening of the 30th of Tet."

At Thanh Chuong Flower and Ornamental Plant Market Center, this year there have also appeared Dien grapefruit trees grown according to bonsai techniques, so although the roots and branches are small, they have many beautiful golden fruits. This is also an item that many people are looking to buy.