Vietnamese people willing to open wallets for Tet ornamental plants
Vietnamese people willing to open wallets for Tet ornamental plants
As the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday is only a month away, people in Ho Chi Minh City are dashing to buy ornamental plants, both natural and artificial, to decorate their houses for the national festival, with fabric flowers selling like hot cakes even at a hefty price tag of VND15 million (US$645) apiece.
On December 31, decoration shops along 3/2 Street in District 10 began to showcase their latest products, especially artificial plants, for Tet, which is due next month.
Fabric flowers of various types are available at different prices, with a number of imported products to meet customers’ need.
The products fetch from a few hundred dong to as much as VND25 million ($1,075), depending on type and .
Particularly, a small pot of fabric flowers costs VND500,000-700,000 ($21.5-$30), whereas bigger products fetch between VND1.5 million ($64.5) and VND8 million ($344).
At a shop named Khanh Linh, a three-meter-tall apricot blossom, the iconic flower of Tet in southern Vietnam, made from fabric is available at VND15 million. “We only make this special product upon request,” a shop attendant said.
Despite the high prices, fake plants and flowers meant for Tet decoration still sell well as the holiday draws near.
Besides apricot blossoms and peach flowers, the favorite Tet flowers for people in the north, local customers also seek to decorate their houses and offices with other artificial plants including mangos, kumquats and soursops, which are put in ceramic pots and cost some VND2 million ($86) apiece.
Besides ornamental plants, plastic-made fruits are in demand as well. Traditionally, every Vietnamese family has a five-type fruit tray offered to their ancestors on the first day of the new lunar year to wish for luck, fortune and prosperity.
Plastic-made products are winning over consumers as they can remain usable for the next several years, according to buyers.
