Longevity paintings are the best sellers in early spring.

Longevity paintings are chosen by many people as gifts for the elderly. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Starting from December, households have imported longevity paintings from northern provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Nam Dinh... and sold them from then until the full moon of January. But mainly, longevity celebrations take place from the first to the sixth day of Tet, so the longevity painting market is quite bustling these days.

Longevity paintings are diverse in types and prices. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In Thanh Tuong commune (Thanh Chuong), there are 3 shops specializing in selling longevity paintings. Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoa, the owner of a shop selling longevity paintings in hamlet 5, Thanh Tuong commune, said: The types of longevity paintings are very rich in genre, diverse in materials, designs, and sizes. The images printed on the paintings mainly represent longevity such as: immortal peaches, pine and cypress with longevity or images of immortals, fortune - wealth - longevity, along with parallel sentences or Tang poetry.

At the request of the customer, there will be a section to record the name, relationship of the person giving the gift to the recipient, and a wish. The designs of the paintings this year are more diverse than in previous years, printed on many types of materials such as: copper, mother-of-pearl, lacquer, gemstones... Depending on the material and size, the price of a longevity painting ranges from 120,000 VND to several million VND.

The market for longevity paintings starts to bustle from the first day of Tet to around the full moon of the first lunar month. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In Do Luong town, the market for longevity paintings is quite bustling these days. Mr. Hoang Xuan Tin, a large dealer selling longevity paintings in Do Luong town, said: Usually before Tet, we survey the number of elderly people in the area to have a basis for importing the appropriate quantity of goods to avoid backlog because this item often changes in design, so by next Tet it will be outdated, and capital will be stuck.

"This year, many people are even-aged, so I bought a lot of goods and expected to sell out all the Longevity paintings. On the second day, my shop alone sold nearly 100 paintings. Other shops in the area were also quite busy," added Mr. Tin.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Dung, a customer, said: “This year, in my Nguyen Trong family, there are 6 elders who are getting old. According to their regulations, in addition to lucky money, there will be a longevity painting. The inscription and meaning on the longevity painting represent the wishes of the descendants in the family to the elders.”

Shops selling longevity paintings on Ho Tung Mau Street were crowded with customers coming to buy paintings on the third day of Tet. Photo: Lam Tung

In Vinh city, various types of longevity paintings are sold along Phan Dinh Phung, Tran Hung Dao and Ho Tung Mau streets, mainly by large agents, distributing to retail stores in districts and towns. Many establishments take raw goods from Nam Dinh and Hanoi and hire workers to process them: frame, install LED lights, engrave letters, poems, etc. to import to retail stores. Some factories import thousands of pieces.

On the third day of Tet, at the shops selling longevity paintings in the Square area, the number of people coming to buy longevity paintings was quite large. Mr. Vuong Dinh Thanh - a seller of longevity paintings said: "This year, longevity paintings have received a lot of attention from people. The longevity paintings are quite diverse in size and design, and in terms of materials, there are basically two types: copper paintings and plastic paintings and most of them are imported from Hanoi and Nam Dinh".

The price of the paintings depends on the size and the material, plastic or bronze. Photo: Lam Tung

According to Mr. Thanh, the price of longevity paintings is usually quite stable, with a slight increase compared to last year. Currently, the price of a longevity painting ranges from 300,000 VND to 2 million VND, depending on the material and size. Many large paintings with elaborate motifs can cost up to nearly ten million VND.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Hung Loc commune, a customer who bought a painting to celebrate her mother's 85th birthday, said: "Although the price of paintings to celebrate longevity is quite stable, to have a satisfactory painting, this price is quite expensive. To buy a painting measuring 80 cm x 1.5 m, the family spent 4.8 million VND. However, celebrating longevity for father, mother, or grandparents is a special occasion, so the family does not hesitate."

Longevity paintings express the intention of "respecting the elderly and wishing them longevity". Photo: Thanh Phuc