A few weeks before the Tet holiday, Nhat Tan Garden, Hanoi's center for apricot blossoms, seems to be wearing its new clothes with thousands of apricot trees in full bloom.
Along with kumquat, apricot blossom is a favorite Tet decoration for many residents in the northern part of Vietnam. The flower owes its popularity among people to the beauty of its slender but vivid petals as well as its important meaning. The bright pink flower, which blooms only once a year, is said to bring good luck, happiness and health to Vietnamese families.
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| These days, visitors and customers flock to the Nhat Tan peach village, mostly traders, looking for trees or branches of flowering apricots. |
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| The brightly blooming apricots planted by the household of farmer Nguyen Van An from Nhat Tan Flower Village in Tay Ho District, Hanoi are ready for sale. |
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The prices for apricot branches are ranging from VND150,000 or US$6 to VND500,000 or $20 each. |
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| There are two types of Nhat Tan Apricot, including the Dao bich or Apricot Blossom with dark pink tiny flowers and the Dao phai or Apricot Blossom with light pink ones. |
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| Each type of peach requires its own careful care to bloom in time for Tet. |
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| Flower growers must remove all leaves from dark pink apricot trees 45 days before Tet, while for light pink apricot trees it must be done earlier, around 75 days. |
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| An apricot tree is considered beautiful when it has uniformly large flowers and many remaining buds. |
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| The beautiful tiny flower has dozens of small petals and is odorless. |
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| These apricot blossoms are harvested early and sold at the Quang Ba flower market. |
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The weather is predicted to be cold this Tet holiday, heralding a bountiful harvest for the apricot growers at Nhat Tan Garden. |
