The flower and ornamental plant market for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival across Hoa Binh province is becoming more vibrant.
Kumquat trees are sold in the vicinity of Hoa Binh Square.
To meet the decoration needs for Tet, gardeners and fresh flower businesses
have proactively increased their flower stock. Many gardeners focus on the
appearance and variety of flowers, especially aiming to keep prices stable
compared to Tet 2024. In Hoa Binh city, a wide range of flowers is available,
showcasing diverse designs, colours, and prices.
Nguyen Phuong Thuy, owner of Giap Thuy Garden on An Duong Vuong street of Thai
Binh ward, Hoa Binh city, said that one to two months before Tet, she usually
seeks flower/ornamental plan supplies, addingshe offers a diverse range
of types and prices of flowers and plants.
This year, in addition to selling directly at the garden, she also utilises
social media like Facebook and Zalo to introduce, promote, and sell products.
The garden is ready to deliver flowers directly to customers after online
orders are confirmed. This not only saves time for both sellers and buyers but
also contributes to increasing revenue for the shop.
Besides fresh flowers, peach and kumquat trees remain the two most favoured types. In the Hoa Binh Square area, kumquat pots styled as bonsai with lush green
leaves and heavy golden fruits are priced between 250,000 VND (10 USD) and over
2 million VND, depending on size and shape.
Meanwhile, pink and peach blossoms - symbols of spring in the North - are
widely sold along roads and streets. Small bonsai pots of peach blossoms are
priced from 500,000 VND. Meanwhile, large peach trees with unique shapes and
dense flowers can sell for over 10 million VND, with rental prices around 7 to
8 million VND.
Tran Trung, a seller at Hoa Binh Square said that this year, he
focuses on small-sized kumquat trees that are suitable for offices and small
houses.
The bonsai kumquat trees are most favoured by customers due to their elegant
shapes, easy transport, and display. However, due to the difficult economic
situation, people are tending to tighten their budgets, resulting in slower
sales compared to last year.
In addition to peach and kumquat, Phalaenopsis orchids are also sought after by
many people. With their luxurious appearance and long display duration,
Phalaenopsis orchids are priced from 100,000 VND to over 220,000 VND per stem,
depending on size and color.
This year, the purchasing power for ornamental plants and fresh flowers for Tet
has seen a slight decrease compared to previous years due to economic
difficulties. Nevertheless, the shopping atmosphere remains quite lively in the
downtown market areas of Hoa Binh city and districts in the province. Alongside
direct sales stalls, online sales have also flourished.
The National Science and Engineering Fair for secondary and high school students was held at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City from March 19-21 by the Ministry of Education and Training.
As women's participation in key leadership positions of Hoa Binh province is still modest while some women in rural and mountainous areas or from ethnic minorities face limited access to policies, the provincial Party Committee's Organisation Board has advised the provincial Party Committee's Standing Board to direct Party committees at all levels and localities to pay more attention to training female personnel and creating favourable conditions for women to take over leadership and management roles, thus addressing a shortage in the number of female cadres.
The Department of Education and Training of Hoa Binh province held a conference on March 18 to review the performance of the "Safe and Happy School" Project and set out tasks for 2025. The project, funded by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF), aims to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for students. The event saw the attendance of representatives from the TFCF and 26 beneficiary schools.
With over 70% of their workers being women, trade unions across industrial parks (IPs) in Hoa Binh have been actively safeguarding their legal rights and interests while implementing initiatives to improve their income and well-being.
In recent years, the Hoa Binh provincial General Hospital has continuously innovated itself and improved the quality of medical services to meet the increasing needs of local people. With substantial investments in infrastructure and modern equipment, along with a team of highly qualified doctors and nurses, the hospital has gradually established itself as one of the leading medical units in the Northwestern region and a trusted destination for healthcare for people inside and outside the province.
From mastering the fundamentals of programming to achieving national recognition, the Programming Club of the Le Van Tam Primary School (STAR LVT28) in Hoa Binh city has made remarkable strides in the field of robotics.
