With Tet still weeks away, many orchards in the capital are already covered in pink and red blossoms, even though farmers have not yet stripped leaves to regulate flowering.
At an orchard run by Nguyen Van The in Nhat Tan, around half of his more than 100 peach trees are already in bloom. He said the flowers were appearing far too early and warned that more than half of the trees could go unsold if conditions persist, as early blooms fade quickly and are less attractive to Tet buyers.
The, who has more than 50 years of experience growing peaches, blamed the unusually warm weather combined with the lunar leap month. He said a cold spell in the next two weeks could still save part of the crop, but without it, losses would be unavoidable.
Local growers estimate that about 30 per cent of peach trees in Nhat Tan have bloomed early. Smaller branch peaches appear to be flowering more slowly and may still bloom closer to Tet.
At another orchard operated by Ha Trung Dung, more than half of hundreds of peach trees have already flowered. He said buyers typically arrive only around the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, making heavy losses hard to avoid.
Despite the vibrant colours, only a small number of customers have visited so far. Some growers have begun cutting early blooming branches to sell at markets to people eager to enjoy peaches ahead of Tet, but sales remain limited.
Similar concerns have been reported in Tay Tuu Flower Village. Nguyen Huu Thanh said more than half of his peach trees had bloomed early and estimated losses of at least VND 150 to 200 million (approximately USD 5,700 to 7,600) this year.
Meanwhile, kumquat trees in the Tu Lien area have also ripened early, with fruit already turning golden, while demand remains weak as Tet shopping has yet to peak.
