Growing flowers for Tet has been a long-standing profession bringing many changes to many generations of different families. Flower growers in the Tet season always hope for a favourable crop to make their Tet more warm and reunited.

Workers at a high-tech flower garden in Hoa Chau Commune, Hoa Vang district, are taking care of hanging flower pots to prepare for the Lunar New Dear market. Photo: THU DUYEN

Hard-working flower growers

Having left Quang Nam for Da Nang to start a business with empty hands, after 10 years of working in floriculture, the life of Mr and Mrs Tran Dinh Loi, garden owner Phu Lam flowers and ornamental plants, has gradually become better through each Tet flower growing season thanks to their hard work.

In 2012, they bought a plot of land to grow flowers in Hoa Lien Commune, Hoa Vang District to start their flower-growing career. By early 2022, he moved the flower garden to Hoa Ninh Commune, Hoa Vang District with the current area up to 5,000m².

Besides planting flowers for the Tet market such as pot chrysanthemums, dahlias, and lilies, Mr Loi also grows many other plants for sale all year round.

He proudly said: “This year, chrysanthemums in my garden have been pre-ordered by traders more than half. According to Mr. Loi, although floriculture is not hard, it requires hard work and meticulousness from sowing seeding to taking care of flowers since each plant has different characteristics requiring extra care, especially during the growing season for the Tet holiday.

Along the two sides of DT605 Street in flower growing area of Duong Son Flower Cooperation Group, Duong Son Hamlet, Hoa Chau Commune are chrysanthemums gardens spreading vastly with a total area of more than 4 hectares. At this time, farmers are busy taking care of each flower pot.

As shared by Mr Ly Phuoc Tham, Head of Duong Son Flower Cooperation, this year, although the number of plants is less than last year, the economic value is higher as growers plant many bigger pots of chrysanthemums to have higher selling prices, bringing a happier and fuller Tet for them.
Innermost feelings when Tet comes, spring comes

After lunch, Mrs Le Thi Gai, deputy head of Thanh Khe Tay Ward Flower Association, Thanh Khe District, goes to her garden to take care of 1,300 pots of chrysanthemums to serve the Tet market. For nearly 30 years working with potted chrysanthemums, this job not only helps her increase income but also brings joy every Tet and spring.

According to Mrs Gai, during her early years in this profession, flowers were often damaged and did not reach economic value due to a lack of experience.

Thus far, if at the beginning of the year, she invests VND 100 million in her garden, she will earn a profit of 50 to 70 million VND/year after the flower growing season for Tet. Thanks to this profession, her family's economy has been more abundant.

For the time being, Thanh Khe Tay Ward Flower Association consists of 9 households always caring for and supporting each other with experience in planting and taking care of flowers.  In the buildup to Tet, the atmosphere of shopping in the garden has been very bustling with the vibrant colours of flowers blooming, making everyone excited.

According to the Sub-Department of Agriculture under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the winter crop of 2022, Da Nang’s farmers have planted nearly 215,000 pots of chrysanthemums; 112,500 pots of marigolds; 72,000 Mokara orchids; 69,000 hanging flower pots. The two largest potted chrysanthemum growing areas are Cam Le District and Hoa Vang District.

Over favourable Tet flower crops, the lives of many farmers have gradually changed for the better. Therefore, they express their gratitude for that with diligent and meticulous care in the hope that the most beautiful flower pots will bring fortune and peace to each customer.

However, after the joy of each successful crop, there are unspeakable sorrows inside some farmers. Looking at the flow of people rushing to their hometown in the days near Tet, Ms Luong Thi Ha, the owner of a flower garden in Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District thought if only she were one of them.

The number of years of working in floriculture is also the number of years that she cannot spend time gathering with her parents during Tet. “Even though I stay at home for a whole month in the summer, how can I compare it to when I can celebrate Tet with my parents and eat the typical dishes of my hometown? I miss Tet in my homeland so much, but I cannot do differently since I have to make a living for my family,” said Ms Ha.

In the flower growing season for the 2023 Lunar New Year, Mr Tran Dinh Loi has planted around 1,000 pots of chrysanthemums. Photo: THU DUYEN

Creating conditions for workers to earn income

Every flower growing season for the Tet holiday coming, it is necessary to hire part-time workers to meet the demand of fulfilling a large workload.  Mr Nguyen Hai, residing in Cam Le District, is hired to assist at a flower garden on Tran Nam Trung Street, Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District. If he did not have this job, he would have to work as a worker at a construction site but the job is too hard for the elderly and weak like him.

In the same vein, Mrs Do Thi Than residing in Thanh Khe District was a worker at a construction site and at Mrs Gai's garden at the same time. However, Ms Thanh could not continue to do the overwhelming work at two places due to her serious illness. Thanks to being a worker at the garden, every month, Ms Thanh earns from VND 6 to 7 million to partly help her family.

On top of that, during the time of picking chrysanthemum buds, garden owners will hire more workers including students. Thanks to that, some students can earn a small amount of money to support their families when Tet comes.

Reporting by THU DUYEN- Translating by T.VY