Yesterday afternoon, at Ho Thi Ky flower market in Ho Chi Minh City’s Vuon Lai Ward, one of the largest flower markets in Ho Chi Minh City, the buying and selling atmosphere was somewhat less vibrant than on many previous holidays.
The buying and selling atmosphere was sparse despite flowers of all kinds and colors available for sale.
Stall owners sat meticulously wrapping bouquets, arranging shelves, wiping leaves, occasionally chatting, killing time. Popular flowers such as baby’s breath, sunflowers, and hydrangeas remained stable in price, with retail prices ranging from VND70,000 to VND80,000 a bunch of 10 baby’s breath flowers while VND10,000 for a bunch of sunflowers and about VND30,000 for a bunch of hydrangea flowers.
For roses, a bouquet of 10 flowers costs VND90,000 and the special velvet rose costs VND150,000 a bunch. Prices are stable, but purchasing power is not as good as before. Trader Ly Thanh Vinh, who has been selling wholesale flowers at the market for nearly 20 years, shared that compared to the October 20 holiday last year, the number of customers booking in advance decreased by about 20 percent.
Due to floods, the northern provinces and Hanoi did not buy many Da Lat flowers; the amount of flowers in Ho Chi Minh City was higher than the purchasing power, so the price did not increase sharply as in previous years. In An Hoi Dong, Hanh Thong, and Ban Co wards, fresh flower shops on the afternoon of October 19 were also quite deserted.
Many small traders switched to selling dried flowers, wax flowers, mini bouquets or flowers combined with small gifts. Meanwhile, buying and selling activities on online platforms were more vibrant, showing a clear shift in consumers' flower buying habits.
