The Tet holidays, which start in mid-February this year, represent a traditional Vietnamese event where families with far-flung members are reunited, and smart clothes are worn as a sign of good fortune for the New Year. To mark the occasion, plants and flowers are displayed in Vietnamese homes, explaining the emergence of flower markets across the country before Tet. As 2018 is the Year of the Dog in the Vietnamese lunar calendar, a number of growers have been shaping their ornamental plants into various canine looks. One of those has been the kumquat, a citrus plant with edible fruit that resembles an orange, but only smaller and golden yellow when ripe. The kumquat dog can exhibit different postures: sitting or standing, and has become a valuable item. “Kumquat puppies sell like hot cakes,” said Le Van Tri, a flower grower in Ben Tre Province, located in southwestern Vietnam. She creates them, and each pair costs VND2-10 million (US$80-400). He said the cultivation of kumquats is a long business, typically starting in the third month of the lunar year and involves the careful selection of the most robust plants and skillful pruning of branches. When the trees bear fruit, Tri begins shaping them, a process which takes between five and seven days. “Giving the plants a canine shape is the most difficult of all the stages,” he said. Besides the decorative dogs, a common plant creating a bright yellow patch in most Tet markets is the chrysanthemum, which is put in… [Read full story]
The Lunar New Year, or Tet in Vietnamese, is an occasion to exchange gifts, and local consumers are willing to open their pockets for any bizarre product that can make a unique present. The Vietnamese have a custom of buying fruit as a religious offering and ornament during the holiday, which will begin on February 19 this year. Local farmers have thus been trying to grow fruit in unique shapes suitable for offerings over the last few years, and manage to introduce new products every Tet. Vo Trung Thanh, chairman of a farming club in the southern province of Hau…... [read more]
With people buying up beer in bulk ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, a rationing system has been put in place by many supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City. When Hanh, a regular at a supermarket in District 2, noticed supermarket staff busy stacking piles of crates of beer, she decided to buy a few just in case beer prices go up before the Tet holidays. “I bet the price will be even higher next week,” said Hanh “ Just three weeks ago, a crate of Heineken beer only cost VND350,000 ($15) but now the price tag reads VND397,000 ($18).”…... [read more]
Five-fruit tray (Source: internet)Hanoi (VNA) - Like most other nations in Asia, Vietnamese people welcome the NewYear according to the lunar calendar, and Tet Nguyen Dan (the lunar New YearDay) has long become the biggest festival of the nation. Among thenumerous offerings that are required to decorate ancestral altars during thetraditional New Year, a five-fruit tray is indispensable for each Vietnamesefamily, which is a symbol of the wholeheartedness and filial piety of thepresent generation towards their ancestors and the Genie of the Land.Like otherpopular rituals, the preparation of a five‑fruit tray for Tet has become anestablished convention. During the few…... [read more]
Vegetables grown in Da Lat using seeds imported mainly from Japan and the US and using high technology are becoming a big hit with customers for their quality and safety. They are all grown to VietGap standards using drip and spray irrigation and other techniques. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted Ngo Phuong Thao, director of Thom Food Company, as saying her company has received more than 200 orders for tomatoes and other vegetables. All information about the products, including variety and growing standards, is on the packaging, she added. Nguyen Cong Thua, general director of Anh Dao Co-operative, said more…... [read more]
Lunar New Year ("Tet" in Vietnamese) is fast-approaching and Tu Lien kumquat and Nhat Tan peach blossom growers are expecting a profitable harvest. A "real" kumquat tree is worth anywhere from VND2 million ($107) to VND6 million ($321) per unit, but the original prices range from merely around VND400,000 ($21) to VND1.5 million ($80). Peach blossoms are particularly harvested for wealthier people, with a price tag anywhere from VND3 million ($160) to VND15 million ($800) per unit. We were amazed when we visited the Tu Lien peach blossom gardens on cold winter days to see so many ripe kumquat trees.…... [read more]
