“Although there was less rain during 2009 than usual, the weather was still good for kumquat and peach blossoms,” said Chu Duc Toan, owner of a peach garden in Hanoi’s Tay Ho District.

Farmer Duong Hoang Long protects his peach trees for Tet in Ha Dong Town.

His happiness is shared by most growers in Ha Noi and other northern provinces. They are thankful for the good weather and are praying that from now until the Tet holiday, the weather will stay fine.

Growers in several of Ha Noi’s famous flower villages – Nhat Tan, Phu Thuong and Tu Lien – said the blossoms on their ornamental trees would be particularly beautiful if the temperature stays at about 20 degrees Celsius and there is little rain.

At present, the trees are starting to bud and are expected to bloom on time for Lunar New Year in mid-February.

Ong Van Tung from Phu Gia Village in Tay Ho District, is proud of his 200 peach trees.

“The weather has been quite good for their development. We hope that it will be not too hot or too cold from now to Tet,” said Tung.

Kumquat growers in Tu Lien ward are also praying for good weather.

Hoang Van Toan, owner of a 300sq.m kumquat garden, said if the weather became colder, it would be hard for kumquat to ripen.

At present, wholesalers and early shoppers are visiting the gardens to order trees.

“Kumquats from Tu Lien and peach blossoms from Nhat Tan are famous across the country and abroad. Customers with sophisticated taste usually come directly to the garden to choose trees. Up to now, nearly half of my trees have been taken,” said Toan.

Kumquats and peach trees from the flower villages are also being transported to different provinces and cities nation-wide.

According to Bui Manh Tuan, an officer at northern Lao Cai Province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the varieties of peach trees for Tet will similar to last year.

He said prices would be about 20 per cent higher than last year because of increasing prices of fertiliser and labour.

Tung said flowering peach branches would sell for from VND100,000 (US$5.5) to VND200,000 ($11), and miniature peaches from VND 800,000 ($44) to VND 1 million ($55).

Bigger trees could sell for millions of dong, said Toan. ” I can sell a big round peach tree for VND15 million. Moreover, customers will pay VND 8-10 million ($450 – $550) to rent a tree for 20 days,” he said.

VietNamNet/VNS