Sadly watching flowers bloom after Tet
In the early days of the Binh Ngo year, the large gladioli growing area in Hiep Thanh commune was filled with red and yellow flowers blooming late. Beautiful flowers but sadness for many households when they missed the Tet market.
In the 2026 Tet flower crop, Mr. Pham Van Truc's family (Hiep Thanh commune) planted 3 sao (3,000m2) of gladioli. Due to unfavorable weather, he only harvested about 30% of the output before Tet. The remaining area bloomed after Tet, could not be sold, so they had to pull it up and feed it to the cows.
The time of sowing encounters prolonged rain, then deep cold makes flowers slow to develop, not bloom in time for Tet. The price after Tet is too cheap, so we have to pull them away," Mr. Truc said.
Similarly, Ms. Ka Biu's family (K'Long B village) planted 2 sao of gladioli, expected to harvest more than 20,000 branches. However, at the peak of the Tet season, only a few thousand branches were harvested because the flowers had not yet bloomed.
Before Tet, flowers were priced well, but the output was small, not enough to cover the costs of seeds, fertilizers, and labor. After Tet, when flowers bloomed profusely, they could not be sold, so I cleared the garden to grow vegetables," Ms. Ka Biu said.
Plucking because prices plummeted
Hiep Thanh is one of the largest gladioli growing areas of Lam Dong, supplying many provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City. Near Tet, each bunch of 10 branches costs 40,000 - 50,000 VND depending on the color.
However, after Tet, the price is only 5,000 - 10,000 VND/bunch. Flowers bloom early from the 1st and 2nd days, so purchasing power has decreased sharply, many gardeners have to pull them out.
Mr. K'Hung (Hiep Thanh commune) said that his family grows about 5,000m2 of gladioli, only harvesting about 50% before Tet. The rest after Tet is sold sparingly or used as green fertilizer to prepare for planting a new crop.
Taking advantage of collecting gladiolus flowers to feed cows, Mr. Bay (village 1, Don Duong commune) said that his family raises more than 20 dairy cows. These days, when many gardeners in Hiep Thanh uproot late blooming flowers, he and his wife come to collect them to store.
Gladiolus trees have a slightly bitter taste, but dairy cows like them very much. After pulling them up, they can be left for 10-15 days to wilt, then ground and mixed with elephant grass for cows to eat," Mr. Bay said.
According to Hiep Thanh Commune People's Committee, in the 2026 Tet flower crop, the locality planted more than 200ha of gladioli. Previously, floods at the end of November 2025 caused damage to dozens of hectares, greatly affecting production.
The government has coordinated to support recovery, but unfavorable weather continues to cause many areas of flowers to bloom late, making it difficult to consume.
