Known as the "capital of yellow apricot flowers in the Central region", An Nhon town (Binh Dinh) currently has more than 10,000 households growing apricot flowers on a total area of hundreds of hectares. With its unique soil and climate, this land has become the "cradle" nurturing the Binh Dinh yellow apricot brand - the flower symbolizing Tet.
"Hugging trees, picking leaves" job
With only about a month to go until the Lunar New Year 2025, the atmosphere in the apricot villages in the "capital" of An Nhon is becoming busier than ever. Gardeners are busy "hugging trees, picking leaves", taking care of each pot of yellow apricot, ensuring the flowers bloom on time to supply the Tet flower market.
According to the experience of apricot growers, this flower does not always bloom as expected but depends entirely on weather conditions. Apricot growers must closely monitor and "probe the will of heaven" to choose the right time to remove leaves and promote the growth of new buds.
According to apricot grower Mr. Nguyen Van Sau (65 years old, residing in Trung Dinh village, Nhon An commune, An Nhon town), this year, the weather in the North is colder, so gardeners in An Nhon have to pick the leaves early to ship the apricot to the North. As for the apricot for the Southern market, the leaves have not been picked yet, because the weather in the South is still warm.
In recent years, the yellow apricot growing profession in An Nhon town has brought a significant source of income to the locality, with revenue from Tet apricot reaching an average of 100-130 billion VND per year. This profession not only helps improve people's lives but also creates stable jobs through the seasons.
Every year-end, when the leaf-picking season begins, local people take advantage of the opportunity to go down to the garden and "change the clothes" of apricot trees to earn extra income. "Every time this happens, we take advantage of the opportunity to pick apricot leaves. Although this job is short-term, it brings in a decent income to buy some more cakes and snacks to prepare for Tet," said Ms. Huynh Thi Xuyen (65 years old, living in Phu Cat district).
The place where "giant" plum trees gather
Yellow apricot - the symbol of spring in the Central region, is a familiar flower for every Tet holiday and is also a cultural specialty of An Nhon town. This year, the 2nd An Nhon Yellow apricot Festival will be held with many special activities, an opportunity to promote the beauty of yellow apricot and the development of apricot growing here.
Mr. Mai Xuan Tien - Vice Chairman of An Nhon Town People's Committee said that from January 9 to 27 (ie December 10 to 28 of the year of the Dragon), the locality will organize a spring apricot festival at the ornamental plant display area of Trung Dinh village (Nhon An commune).
From February 6 to 8 (January 9 to 11 of the year At Ty), at the central square of An Nhon town, the An Nhon Yellow Apricot Festival takes place with activities such as displaying 130 pots of apricot with beautiful designs, bonsai apricot; a contest to demonstrate beautiful apricot shapes and forms; singing bai choi, street festival, bird competition...
Through the festival, gardeners will have the opportunity to introduce the traditional yellow apricot products of the craft village, while strengthening the connection between producers and consumers. This is also an opportunity to expand the consumer market and continue to affirm the An Nhon - Binh Dinh yellow apricot brand.
