People of the picturesque mountain village of Sapa gathered to sell their beautiful and ubiquitous peach blossoms for Tet.
The market is set up every year in the northern province of Lao Cai on National Highway No. 70, which runs between the Mong Sen bridge and Sapa.
This year’s prolonged cold has meant that many of the trees that produce the tiny and colorful flowers are more expensive. The price for a branch is hovering between VND300,000 and VND500,000 (USD15-USD25). For an entire tree, you could pay as much as VND10 million (USD500).
Buyers include wholesalers from the city of Lao Cai, in Vinh Phuc province, as well as Hai Phong. They come to select the choicest branches and trees to resell them in the low-lying cities.
“This year’s scarcity means higher prices. I’ve had to put down deposits to make sure to receive trees,” said Dao Tien Hai, a wholesaler. He told about one peach tree his company ordered for Tet, which costs around USD1,000.
Some people are even selling their old peach trees in hopes of earning some extra cash.
A local official in Sapa sympathises with the villagers, and said that the local government encourages the growing and trade of peach trees.
The district authorities are drawing up plans to restore the development of areas that have traditionally been used for growing the trees, he said. These areas are concentrated along National Highway70, the road linking Sapa to Lao Cai and Lai Chau Province.
DTiNews snapped some photos of the market on January 23:
Branches for sale along the highway
This year even old trees are being sold
Dao Tien Hai displaying an older tree
Many branches have not bloomed
Day off school, day at the market
Loading up for transport
Off to the market
The market attracts many tourists
