On New Year’s Eve, as the Tet atmosphere fills the streets of Vinh City (Nghe An), many sellers of mai flowers still sit in the cold, waiting for customers to buy their remaining stock. Despite lowering prices significantly, even offering “any price,” they still cannot sell out their inventory.
The Sad Situation of Mai Flower Sellers on New Year’s Eve
Mr. Cao Van Hien, a Tet mai flower vendor in Vinh City, shared that this year is the first time he has faced significant difficulties selling mai. Even after burning charcoal to keep warm and patiently sitting next to the remaining 40 mai trees, he could not sell them all before the new year began.
People in Vinh City choosing and buying mai flowers on New Year’s Eve (Photo: Hoang Lam).
With prices reduced to just VND 500,000 per tree including the pot, Mr. Hien refused an offer of VND 300,000 from a customer, believing that this price would not cover transportation and stall costs. He imported 170 mai trees from Binh Dinh hoping for smooth sales, but by the eve of Tet, around 25% of his stock remained unsold.
Reasons for the Poor Sales of Tet Mai Flowers
According to Mr. Hien, there was a noticeable discrepancy this year between the flower gardens and traders. The price of mai at the source increased significantly compared to previous years, raising input costs. However, only about 30% of the trees bloomed correctly for Tet, making it difficult to select quality products for the market.
Not just Mr. Hien, many other mai sellers in Vinh City also faced similar situations. On Le Nin Street, the busiest area for Tet flower sales, most stalls had already cleared out to return their spaces, leaving only a few hundred unsold mai trees at some remaining stands.
The Challenges Faced by Traders
Mr. Tran Thanh Trung, a long-time trader specializing in Tet mai flowers, said that this year, he and his friends imported nearly 3,000 mai trees from the South to sell at five locations in Vinh City. Despite continuously reducing prices from VND 2-2.5 million down to VND 300,000 per tree, Mr. Trung still could not sell all his remaining stock, especially the mai.
Mr. Trung (in red) and his friends waiting for customers beside the “any price” mai trees, but few people stopped to inquire (Photo: Hoang Lam).
“Calculating everything, we can only lose to the lack of customers,” Mr. Trung shared with regret. High rental costs combined with transportation and labor expenses put him at risk of heavy losses if he did not sell out his stock.
Empathy from Customers
Despite low demand, some customers were willing to support the sellers. Mr. Tran Nam Thanh, a delivery driver in Vinh City, took advantage of his free time after work to buy a branch of peach blossoms for VND 50,000.
Mr. Thanh bought a satisfactory branch of peach blossoms for VND 50,000 on New Year’s Eve (Photo: Hoang Lam).
“I’m struggling, and so are the flower sellers, so I decided to buy and support them; it’s also nice to have peach blossoms for Tet,” Mr. Thanh shared.
Conclusion
The situation of unsold mai flowers on New Year’s Eve in Vinh City reflects the significant challenges that Tet flower traders are facing. To improve the situation, close cooperation between flower gardens, traders, and local authorities is needed to provide timely support and enhance product quality to meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers.
Source: Dan Tri
