Photographer "couldn't take a breath"
According to locals, this year’s plum blossom season in Moc Chau is the most beautiful in recent years. Plum gardens are crowded with tourists and vehicles, and roads are especially congested on weekends.
Sharing with reporters, Diep Huu Dat (26 years old, freelance photographer) said that during the typical flower seasons of each region such as peach blossoms and white plum blossoms, he often goes with a group of friends who are professional photographers to compose.
Although it was the first year coming to Moc Chau during the white plum blossom season, Mr. Dat had a full schedule and "couldn't catch his breath taking pictures".
"I record every moment of my daily life to post on social media platforms as a way to promote. If there are enough customers and they need to take photos, I will stay and provide short-term services," Dat shared.
Mr. Dat said: "The number of visitors has increased dramatically, but most of them ask for the same day. Arranging the photo shoot schedule is quite difficult because no one likes to take photos in a group."
This week alone, even though it is the end of plum blossom season, Mr. Dat still has 6 photoshoots in Moc Chau, 4 group photoshoots and 2 individual photoshoots. Each photoshoot lasts 4 hours, including travel time, with a price of 2 million VND/session.
In addition to taking photos, Mr. Dat also takes visitors on tours and takes individual photos in the garden. Photography does not have a fixed monthly income, Mr. Dat said: "During peak months, my income fluctuates between 2.5-3 million VND/day."
Some famous photographers can earn up to 200 million VND a month during peak tourist season.
After completing the shoot, guests will receive all original photos and 40 color edited photos.
The photographer born in 1999 shared his experience: "When taking pictures of plum blossoms, it is best to take pictures on sunny days. Plum blossoms combined with a blue sky or black mountains will highlight the white color of the flowers even more."
To get the most satisfactory photos, many tourists have sought out costume and makeup rental services. These days, beauticians don't have days off.
Talking to reporters, Ms. Nhu Ngoc - a makeup artist with many years of experience in Moc Chau, noticed that the number of customers this year has increased dramatically compared to previous years.
Ms. Ngoc said: "The number of customers increased, so our team had to hire 5 more makeup artists. Every day, 30-40 customers visit the shop, so busy that we never stop working."
The time for each guest to paint their face is about 30 minutes. Each day, the makeup artist works on a maximum of 8 to 10 guests at a price of 300,000 VND/person. Tourists who want to rent costumes will pay between 100,000 - 150,000 VND/set.
Ms. Ngoc said that during peak times, each makeup artist earns up to 3 million VND/day. If they work hard during the blooming season, makeup artists can earn 90 million VND.
Flower season boosts local economy
During the Lunar New Year holiday (January 25 - February 2), Moc Chau town welcomed 105,000 visitors and tourism revenue was estimated at over VND136 billion. Ms. Dinh Thi Huong - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Moc Chau town, said that on weekdays, the number of visitors fluctuated around 10,000, but on weekends, this number doubled.
Some plum gardens that are known and loved by many tourists to see flowers and take pictures in Moc Chau include Mung Hanh, Bich Hanh, Mai Tuan, Ta So village, Cho Long village...
Mr. Vu Trung Hai - owner of Bich Hanh tourist garden, shared: "For the past 3 years, my family has opened the plum blossom garden to welcome visitors. On average, we welcome 800 - 1,000 visitors per day. In the last 2 peak weeks, the revenue was about 300 - 500 million VND".
In addition to welcoming visitors, Mr. Hai's family also runs a homestay business.
“From Monday to Sunday, during the plum blossom season, all of our rooms are fully booked. Even the following weekend, we were already fully booked. 80% of our guests only stay for 2 days and 1 night in Moc Chau,” the garden owner revealed.
He said that since opening the door to visitors, his family's income has improved significantly. Previously, Hai's family was only involved in agricultural business. The family's plum gardens are about 1.5-2 hectares in size around Tan Lap commune.
Plum blossoms bloom sporadically in the gardens from October to the end of February, peaking around the end of January to the beginning of February. The plum blossom season will end in about a week. After the plum blossom season, when the trees bear fruit, gardeners still charge an entrance fee of 30,000 VND for visitors to visit and take pictures or pick plums, eat them in the garden, or buy them as gifts...
The garden house cooperates with other local ethnic costume rental shops at a price of 50,000 - 250,000 VND/set, and provides makeup and on-site photography for tourists. Mr. Hai also said that the garden house also supports free sales space for H'Mong and Thai ethnic women right in the plum garden to create a special highland market.
