Once known for its diverse vegetable fields, Chiềng Sinh Ward in Sơn La City is fast becoming a renowned hub for peach blossom cultivation. Over the past few years, this shift from food crops to flowering trees has brought in hundreds of millions of đồng in income, as demand for ornamental peaches surges during Vietnam’s Tết holiday season.
From Vegetable Rows to Blossoming Rows
Farmers like Nguyễn Thị Sinh have led the way, converting 1,000 m² of vegetable land into a flourishing peach garden. Inspired by techniques observed in Hà Tây and Bắc Giang, she adopted grafting and propagation methods suited to Sơn La’s ideal highland climate and soil.
Instead of relying on commercial fertilizers, Sinh crafts her own organic compost using a mix of chicken and pig manure, coffee husks, and sugarcane byproducts. This eco-friendly approach enhances tree vigor, producing peach blossoms with thick petals and delicate pink hues—perfectly timed for the Lunar New Year.
Her model includes a mix of:
- Rugged forest peach trees (đào rừng)
- Hanging branch varieties (đào huyền)
- Cut-branch peaches for decorative sales
Precision Horticulture in Practice
Another standout grower, Nguyễn Văn Sức, specializes in multi-year đào huyền trees. With meticulous pruning and shaping, his trees fetch premium prices for their aesthetic appeal.
Caring for older peach trees demands experience and precision—pruning at just the right moment, balancing nutrients, and preparing trees to bloom precisely at Tết. “With proper care, even a one-year tree can bloom in time for the holiday,” says Sức.
Market prices in 2025 reflect the value of quality:
- Peach branch (bulk): 100,000–120,000 VND per branch
- Peach branch (retail): 800,000–900,000 VND
- Forest peach tree: 2–3 million VND
- Aged ornamental peach trees: 4–5 million VND
- Tree rental prices: 500,000–1,500,000 VND, popular in urban areas
Local Economics Blooming with Flowers
The trend is spreading. In Chiềng Sinh’s Group 7 alone, 10 households grew peaches in 2025, each earning between 300–500 million VND (~$12,000–$20,000 USD) for the season. Many use short-term vegetable crops to fund peach tree care and input costs, creating a sustainable dual-income model.
Key advantages of the peach blossom model:
- Stable Tết-season market driven by tradition and gifting culture
- High-value ornamental sales and tree rentals
- Climate-adapted crops with minimal chemical input
- Organic fertilization from locally sourced materials
- Social media marketing, boosting direct sales and brand awareness
The peach blossom farms of Sơn La represent more than just a crop shift—they’re a symbol of adaptive agriculture in a changing climate and economy. By blending cultural tradition, ecological farming, and savvy entrepreneurship, local growers are proving that flowers can be as fruitful as food when grown with purpose and passion.
