(VOVWORLD) - Located in My Phong ward, Dong Thap province, My Phong flower village is the largest Tet (Lunar New Year) flower-growing hub in the former Tien Giang province. Hundreds of households supply Tet flowers to localities throughout the region. At this time of year, local farmers are working hard to tend their crops, many of them eating and sleeping in the field to make sure their flowers bloom on schedule and meet the highest quality standards for the Lunar New Year.
 My Phong flower village is the largest Tet flower-growing hub in the former Tien Giang province, now Dong Thap. (Photo: Chu Trinh) |
Nguyen Van Bay of My Phong ward, who has been growing Tet flowers for 20 years, has planted 400 baskets of raspberry chrysanthemums, which are now thriving. His family is growing 1,200 pots of Dutch chrysanthemums and 500 pots of marigolds.
Le Van Khoi and his wife, also of My Phong ward, are in the fields from 6 a.m. until dusk every day. Caring for Dutch chrysanthemums is particularly demanding this year due to the weather, Khoi said.
“Because this year’s flower season has been so difficult, it has been harder to get them to this stage. The weather keeps shifting between sunshine and rain, which causes leaf burn. We have to monitor the plants constantly and spray them with nutrients to keep them healthy,” he explained.
 For the upcoming Year of the Horse, My Phong florists plan to sell around one million baskets of flowers. (Photo: Chu Trinh) |
Growing flowers for the Tet holiday involves hundreds of families in My Phong ward. Thanks to their diligence, ingenuity, and application of technical knowledge, most of their flowers meet a high standard and are in great demand by traders throughout the region.
Pham Thanh Long said his family is growing 10 different types of flowers this year. He draws on experience from previous seasons, and his fields are especially well cared for. “This year, the flowers are growing well. But costs are higher because the prices of everything—the growing medium, coconut fiber, labor, fertilizers, and supplies—have increased. Last year, we still made a profit, but it was small because several flower varieties suffered from leaf scorch, which reduced selling prices,” Long told VOV.
 (Photo: Chu Trinh) |
In addition to supplying other provinces, My Phong flower farmers also bring their blooms to the Spring Flower Market at Hùng Vương Square and other local venues. Nguyen Thi No, who has been engaged in the flower business for 30 years, said that last year, the flowers were sold well and their quality was excellent.
“This year, the quality may not be as good as last year’s, so we’re pruning the branches one more time to improve it. The Dutch chrysanthemums are now four months old and growing well. We’re looking for a location to open a retail shop to serve local customers,” said No.
 Dutch chrysanthemums are carefully tended before being transported to spring markets. (Photo: Chu Trinh) |
The My Phong flower farmers have been introducing new varieties year by year to satisfy an evolving market demand and are hopeful for the upcoming Year of the Horse.