Across Vietnam, key farming hubs for flowers and ornamental plants are buzzing with activity as the Lunar New Year (Tet) approaches, with farmers robust plant health, eye-catching designs, surging consumer demand, and broadly stable pricing.

In the northern port city of Hai Phong, local Tet flower markets showcase kumquat trees from various origins, but longtime buyer Hoang Van Thuc from Ha Dong commune prefers sourcing directly from Thanh Ha gardens. After inspecting the stock, he praised this year's standout shapes and forms, noting that premium trees go for around 1 million VND (38.4 USD).

“Thanh Ha kumquats benefit from multi-year cultivation, giving them exceptional durability,” Thuc explained. “Post-Tet, they’re perfect for replanting in home gardens, extending their value well beyond the holiday.”

The buzz started early at Nguyen Van Quy's kumquat garden in Lai Xa 2 village, Thanh Ha commune, where orders poured in from the every beginning of the 12th lunar month. Quy said prices are holding the line from last Tet, ranging from 300,000 - 2 million VND per tree, including pots to match varied buyer budgets. By February 9, about 60% of his crop had been sold.

Over at Duong Thi Lap and Duong Van Chin's garden, 200 trees are ready for Tet, and buyers from Quang Ninh snapped up 80 of them two months ago.

“The benign weather, with little rain and no harsh cold snaps, lets the trees stretch out and shape themselves into something really special,” Lap said. With those early sales done, walk-in traffic has picked up recently. As of February 9, only about 60 trees are left to find their perfect homes before Lunar New Year's Eve.

About twenty years back, the farmers in Thanh Ha were growing kumquats mostly under lychee trees, just for the fruit. Then a few brave souls looked around, learned some ornamental tricks from farther away, and everything changed. Proven profitability drove others to follow suit, with 25 households now on the trade. From a tiny 360 sq.m plot, they can pull in 80–85 million VND at harvest.

Neighboring kumquat areas in An Duong ward and An Khanh commune are also seeing the same steady stream of visitors these days.

Down in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, two traditional ornamental flower villages in Long Duc ward are in full swing, with cultivation and sales in high gear. Blooms timed precisely for Tet are seeing robust demand, and the orders are rolling in from near and far, early and eager.

Long Duc ward is home to two ornamental flower villages officially recognised by the provincial People’s Committee since 2011, comprising 170 growing households. Together, they bring in 16–17 billion VND in annual revenue, keep steady jobs going for more than 350 locals, and deliver an average monthly income of about 7.7 million VND per person.

For Tet 2026, they are putting out about 375,000 pots of mixed ornamental flowers, a solid 10% annual hike. Nearly half are already moved, with prices for these varieties holding broadly stable versus the previous season./.