Less than a week to go until the Lunar New Year 2025, the ornamental plant market in Hai Duong province has become bustling with the appearance of familiar plants such as peach, kumquat, grapefruit... In addition, bonsai papaya with unique and novel shapes is becoming a sought-after item.
Symbolizing prosperity, family reunion and stability, bonsai papaya trees are currently sought after by many Hai Duong people. Trees with beautiful shapes, blooming flowers, large round fruits, lush green leaves and new shoots are often the most popular.
Mr. Trinh Huy Thang - a small trader selling ornamental plants on Ton Duc Thang Street, Hai Duong City said that making this type of bonsai papaya is very difficult. In addition to choosing good varieties, pruning to make it pleasing to the eye is also very important. Not everyone can make the tree grow well in the pot, produce many fruits, have green leaves, buds and flowers.
According to Mr. Thang, the papaya grown is the Taiwanese variety with round fruit or the Thai variety with long, slender fruit, mostly grown in gardens in Hung Yen and Phu Tho. The valuable point of the bonsai papaya tree is that no pesticides or plant protection products are used during the care process. Therefore, the papaya on the tree is very clean and safe, and can be eaten immediately when ripe.
“Each medium-sized pot costs around 2-4 million VND, while beautiful plants cost up to 6 million VND. This year, I sold about 150 plants, but they have almost all been booked,” said Mr. Thang.
Another unique type of bonsai also appeared in Hai Duong, which is the flying bonsai. The flying bonsai pot is designed in 2 parts with the base below, the flower pot or ornamental plant on top, the two parts are connected by a sturdy chain. From a distance, the tree pot looks like it is floating in the air, creating an impressive and novel beauty.
Mr. Tran Ngoc Long, a bonsai seller on Ngo Quyen Street, Hai Duong City, said that flying bonsai appeared about 10 years ago in Japan. The Japanese style flying bonsai pot includes a base equipped with an electric field generator and a pot above containing a magnetic magnet, helping the tree to always maintain a state of balance, creating the feeling of floating in the air.
However, because Japanese-style flying bonsai is expensive and difficult to sell, when introduced to Vietnam, this type of pot has been improved, replacing the magnet with a sturdy chain that still keeps the pot stable while the price is cheaper. This type of flying bonsai is suitable for compact pots, often used to decorate on the table, bringing a unique and modern beauty.
“Currently, bonsai prices range from 1.5 to 2 million VND, of which the pot blank alone costs about 700,000 - 900,000 VND. With its novelty and uniqueness, this type of bonsai is always out of stock, and as many as are imported are sold out,” Mr. Long added.
