Ancient peach trees in Dalat, Lam Dong Province, have begun blooming in October, months ahead of their usual flowering season around the Lunar New Year.
Peach blossom trees are in bloom in Dalat, Lam Dong Province (Photo: Minh Hau).
Meteorologist Le Thi Xuan Lan told Dantri/Dtinews that recent weather changes had created favourable conditions for early flowering. October is normally part of Dalat's rainy season, but the city experienced several days of increased sunshine and sharply reduced rainfall.
Humidity may have exceeded 85 per cent, helping the trees retain moisture, while daytime temperatures rose and nights remained cold.
Between October 18 and 22, the temperature difference between day and night ranged from 4.9 to eight degrees Celsius. Daytime temperatures then climbed to between 25.3 and 27.4 degrees Celsius from October 23 to 25, unusually high for Dalat at this time of year. Nighttime temperatures, however, fell to as low as 12.8 degrees Celsius.
The combination of high humidity, stronger sunshine, reduced rainfall and significant temperature fluctuations may have accelerated flower bud development, Lan said.
The blossoms have so far appeared only in scattered locations rather than across the city. Further rain is expected, which could narrow the temperature gap between day and night. Lan said peach trees might flower more uniformly around the Lunar New Year in February, as winter is forecast to be relatively warm.
Visitors enjoy photographing the early peach blossom in Dalat (Photo: Minh Hau).
Several factors behind out-of-season flowering
Nguyen Van Tinh, director of the Centre for Flower and Ornamental Plant Research and Development at the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, said flowering could be triggered by a combination of environmental factors, particularly temperature, humidity and sunlight.
Peach trees respond to temperature changes during flower bud development. In northern Vietnam, for instance, an early cold spell can prompt earlier bud formation. In Dalat, favourable light and temperature conditions may have naturally stimulated the trees to bloom.
Dang Van Dong, deputy director of the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, said out-of-season flowering was not uncommon. He suggested that differences in the genetic characteristics of seed-grown trees could make some more sensitive to temperature changes than others, leading them to flower earlier.
Trees may also bloom outside their normal cycles when external conditions align with their nutritional status and internal hormonal balance.
Dong said rising temperatures, less frequent fog and greater day-night temperature fluctuations in Dalat this year could have contributed to the phenomenon.
The expansion of greenhouses may also be affecting local weather conditions, Lan said. Although greenhouses help maintain temperatures suitable for growing vegetables and flowers, their increasing concentration across large areas could raise surrounding temperatures and alter the local environment.
She added that the impact would be limited where greenhouse coverage was small, but extensive greenhouse development in parts of Dalat could have more significant effects.
