Tet or Vietnamese New Year is the most important annual celebration in Vietnam. At the beginning of December on the lunar calendar, all Vietnamese people are eager to welcome Tet. Being foreigners staying or traveling in Vietnam, what are you going to do to enjoy the festival at its best? Before Tet, from the twentieth to the thirtieth December on the lunar calendar, colorful flower markets are crowded with people selling and buying flowers and plants used to decorate houses at Tet. Tet flower market has become an important part in Vietnamese culture. In fact, some months before Tet, flower farmers have started growing flowers and plants for Tet. It’s a big chance for any foreigner to visit Tet flower markets in Saigon and learn more about interesting local life at the biggest festival in their country.
A Vietnamese girl takes care of her Tet flower garden.
In Ho Chi Minh city, three biggest flower markets Ho Thi Ky, Dam Sen, Hau Giang. During the year, these markets sell hundreds of kinds of flowers from different regions of Vietnam and other countries. At Tet festival, there are more beautiful flowers and plants for Tet, the markets are more crowded and busy. Especially, Ho Thi Ky Flower Market never sleeps. Besides, there are not less than 10 seasonal flower markets in the city, the most famous of them include Binh Dong Pier Floating Flower Market and Phu My Hung Flower Market.
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Ho Thi Ky Flower Market – non-sleeping flower market
Established in 1990, Ho Thi Ky Flower Market opens 24 hours during the year, sell flowers, baskets, bunches and garlands of flowers, flower arrangement tools and supplies, and some small plants at wholesale and retail. According to old people in the area, a few flower shops are open on Ho Thi Ky Street. Because more people come there to buy flowers, the store number continue to grow in not only the street but also its alleys.
During Vietnamese Tet festival, people usually buy flowers, pots, baskets, hangers to decorate houses, working places and public places. Besides popular flowers such as roses, orchids, lilies, daisies, rosa canina bud (nụ tầm xuân) is a favorite choice of many people thanks to its good meaning and nice looking. Read more about Ho Thi Ky Flower Market at Vietnamese Tet Festival.
Location: Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. CLICK HERE to see the location of the market on Google Maps.
On this tour, we will visit the Ho Thi Ky flower market and other attractions and hidden places in Ho Chi Minh City.
Dam Sen Flower Market – next to the biggest park in Saigon
Established in 2000, Dam Sen Flower Market is more spacious and modern than Ho Thi Ky. About 60 flower shops on two sides of the market with a path sell everything relating to flower arrangement. Similar to Ho Thi Ky, Dam Sen Flower Market is a non-sleeping market that is always crowded with vendors, customers, porters, drivers, shippers and workers. Read more about Dam Sen Flower Market.
Location: Nguyen Van Phu Street, Ward 5, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. CLICK HERE to see the location of the market on Google Maps.
Orange marigolds, daisies, lilies at Dam Sen Flower Market at Tet festival
Everybody are busy at Tet, customers buy flowers, shippers transfer flowers to customers and retailers.
Hau Giang Flower Market – long-standing flower market
Hau Giang Flower Market was established in 2005 and located at the foot of Hau Giang Bridge. Although it is not as big as the others, it has been one of the best places to buy flowers at cheap prices in the city. At Tet festival, more than 10 shops are full of dried dog roses which are favorite flowers for decorating houses. They also sell Read more about Hau Giang Flower Market.
Location: 416 Hau Giang Street, Ward 12, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City. CLICK HERE to see the location of the market on Google Maps.
Hau Giang Flower Market sells lots of dog roses arranged in vases and decorated with colorful paper wraps, decorative strings.
At Tet festival, flower shops at the foot of Hau Giang Street sell daisies, marigolds, coconuts, soursops, corn plants, rice plants, golden apricot trees.
Phu My Hung Tet Flower Market – spacious flower market in luxury residential area
Phu My Hung is one of the largest Tet flower markets in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s located in one of the most luxurious residential areas in Saigon where there are many luxury villas and big shopping centers. Phu My Hung Flower Market is officially known as Phu My Hung Spring Festival where they decorate the area around the romantic Anh Sao Bridge, Crescent Lake and SC Vivo City with countless of flowers and plants. Models of animals and Vietnam’s countryside attract people coming to take photos. A few hundreds of temporary stores are open for selling flowers, plants and trees, including hundreds of years golden apricot trees.
Location: 101 Ton Dat Tien Street, Tan Phu Ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. CLICK HERE to see the location of the market on Google Maps. This festival opens from the 23rd day of the lunar December and closes to the lunar New New Year’s Eve.
A vendor takes care of flowers at Phu My Hung Flower Market.
Daisy at Phu My Hung Flower Market at Tet.
Phu My Hung Tet flower market is large enough to sell a lot of big trees such as kumquat trees, apricot trees, pomelo trees and bonsais, etc. Some old apricot trees cost up to VND 2 billion.
Ben Binh Dong Pier Flower Market – floating flower market on channel
Coming to Binh Dong Pier Flower Market along Tau Hu Canal, visitors can experience the unique “ Tren bến, dưới thuyền” (Above is a harbor, under is boats) sight. Flowers, trees and plants are transferred from mainly Mekong Delta by boats. They are arranged on boats and the bank of the canal so that customers feel free to choose. The boats usually have roofs made from dried water coconut leaves, vendors and their families live on the boat. The girls or sellers are graceful and gentle in beautiful traditional Vietnamese Ao Ba Ba tops which have been popular in Southwest Vietnam for many years.
This is one of the most photographed places in Ho Chi Minh City at Tet festival. Visitors should stand on the Cha Va Bridge or other pedestrian bridges crossing the canal to have a nice view of the floating market and great photos.
Location: Pedestrian Brides No. 6, Ward 14, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. CLICK HERE to see the location of the market on Google Maps. This festival opens from the 20th day of the lunar December and closes to the lunar New New Year’s Eve.
Binh Dong flower market is as beautiful as a painting with line of hundreds of boats with thousands of flowers and plants for Tet.
Colorful daisies at Ben Binh Dong flower market at night.
Tips on shopping at Tet Flower Markets in Saigon
There is no doubt that the three markets are extremely crowded. Pickpockets and snatch thieves are around crowded places so that you should take care of your belongings including wallet, camera or cellphone as carefully as possible.
Bargain is a must at the Vietnamese New Year Flower Markets in Ho Chi Minh City. Because vendors speak limited English, it is better to go with locals to the markets.
What to buy at Tet Flower Markets in Saigon?
Although above Tet Flower Markets in Saigon have enough kinds of flowers, people are still interested in traditional ones which contain the meaning of the spring in Vietnam:
– Apricot blossom – the symbol of luckiness;
– Kumquat – the symbol of abundance;
– Marigold – the symbol of longevity;
– Daisy – the symbol of blessing;
– Fig tree – the symbol of affluence;
– Gerbera – the symbol of money.
Read more about Top Flowers and Plants at Tet festival.
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