After Kitchen Gods' Day, which fell on February 10 this year and traditionally signals the start of peak Tet buying, several flower vendors began steep discounts to recoup costs.
At a spring fair in Duong Noi Ward, trader Thu said she had cut prices for large plum branches from VND 2-3 million (USD 76-114) to as low as VND 900,000, but demand remained weak.
“In the morning, four or five customers stopped to ask, but none bought anything. This is my first year selling plum blossom trees in Hanoi. The warm weather has caused the flowers to bloom early, so I had to cut prices sooner than expected,” she said.
Weeks earlier, Thu’s team travelled to Son La Province to handpick well-shaped plum trees. Of more than 200 branches brought to Hanoi in late January, around 20, mostly larger 1.5-2 metre trees, are still unsold.
To attract buyers, she has turned to evening livestreams on her personal social media channels, but viewership has been modest. The plum blossoms also appear less vibrant on camera, making it harder to persuade customers.
At a Tet peach stall on Pham Hung Street, Nguyen Chien has halved prices on many mature trees, cutting some from VND 8 million to VND 4 million, and others from VND 5-6 million to VND 2-3 million to spur sales.
Chien’s family owns a large peach orchard with thousands of trees in Lang Son Province, where he typically sells locally. In early December of the lunar calendar, he brought about 200 trees to Hanoi in hopes of expanding his customer base, but sales have fallen short of expectations.
Nearly 150 trees remain unsold, with daily sales of just three to four, mostly smaller specimens, he said. While he had targeted revenue of VND 10 million a day to cover costs, actual takings have reached only VND 1-2 million daily.
In addition to transport costs from Lang Son to Hanoi, Chien said he must cover food expenses and wages for three workers hired to tend the trees, each paid VND 500,000 per day.
“With peaches failing to sell, I’m facing losses of hundreds of millions of dong,” he said.
Chien blamed weak sales on economic difficulties that have prompted consumers to tighten spending. He also noted that many Hanoi residents live in apartments and are less inclined to buy large, long-cultivated peach trees, which are better suited to private homes or villas with ample space.
Meanwhile, many Hanoi peach growers are grappling with warmer weather that has triggered early blooms and dampened demand, as buyers prefer trees heavy with buds that open during the Lunar New Year.
At Lan’s orchard in Duong Noi Ward, trees are already in full flower, while last year’s colder weather kept most in bud, prompting complaints over the lack of blossoms.