On Lac Long Quan Street in Tay Ho Ward, the daytime bustle of buyers gives way to a quiet, chilly scene after dark. Kumquat trees and peach blossoms line both pavements, and traders set up makeshift tents beside their plants for another long night outdoors.
Because the ornamental trees cannot be moved each day, sellers must remain with them until they are sold.
At around 11.30 pm, Hoang Van Binh from Hung Yen Province erected a tent and stretched a tarpaulin over his apricot and peach blossoms to create a temporary resting place.
“After selling all day, customers are finally thinning out. I put up a tarpaulin to protect the plants and have somewhere to rest,” Binh said. “For nearly 10 days, my brother and I have been in Hanoi selling blossoms. We take turns staying awake at night to guard them, otherwise we cannot rest easy.”
Further along the street, traders enclose hundreds of kumquat pots and peach branches with plastic sheets as temperatures drop.
Trinh Xuan Cuong, from Hong Ha Ward in Hanoi, said he stays awake most nights to watch over his family’s stock.
“When it gets late and customers are gone, I cover everything with a tarpaulin to feel secure,” he said. “During the day, my wife and children help with sales, but at night it is mainly just me. I might lie down for a while, but I do not dare sleep deeply. When family members come in the morning, I go home to rest.”
Thousands of kumquat trees and ornamental peach blossoms have been gathered at the Lac Long Quan flower market area for several days.
While the market is crowded during daylight hours, it becomes almost deserted after midnight, with only vendors lingering beside their plants.
Some traders pitch small tents in the middle of the market, while others nap briefly on folding chairs or in sleeping bags surrounded by their stock.
Even in the early hours, workers unload delivery trucks and arrange flowers in preparation for morning sales.
Many say they will continue selling until their stock is gone, or at least until noon on the 29th day of the lunar month, before returning home to prepare for Tet.
However, traders report that peach blossoms bloomed early this year, prices are lower and purchasing power has weakened compared to previous years. Some fear that customers will wait until the final days before Tet to seek discounts, increasing the risk of unsold trees and forcing vendors to cut prices before heading home for the holiday.
