Daisy season livens up Hanoi ambiance

Hanoi has entered daisy season, with fields of the pure white flowers blossoming in Nhat Tan Ward, Tay Ho District and Tay Tuu Ward, Bac Tu Liem District.

Ten days ago, the family of Nguyen Anh Tuan and Nguyen Thi Mai in Tay Tuu Ward started harvesting daisies for sale.
“My family has cultivated this species for three years. The flowers were difficult to sell at first, but their popularity has slowly grown,” Mai said.
Daisies usually bloom around November 20, known as Vietnam Teacher’s Day. “We took this opportunity to harvest flowers day and night since they only enter full bloom for about two weeks,” she added.
Vietnamese have a longstanding tradition of giving flowers or sending their greetings to former teachers as a means of showing gratitude and respect.

It takes farmers four months to grow daisies.

Early this year, Mai planted yellow chrysanthemums and lilies. In April, prior to harvesting, the country entered a period of social distancing to contain the spread of Covid-19, which greatly affected her business. Mai said she was forced to sell her flowers at a market 36 km from her home, returning late at night following a slow day.
In mid-June, her family had planted 20,000 daisy buds, which have all entered full bloom.

Each bouquet is wrapped in a nylon bag and sold for VND50,000 ($2.2). At the start of the season, daisies are usually sold for VND140,000 a bunch.

A customer named Phuong said: “On the way home, I spotted some fresh and cheap daisies that I stopped to buy. The flower lasts for a long time and is inexpensive.”

Mai and her husband often commence harvesting at 3 a.m. when their flower beds are covered in dew.

Daisies are arranged in large bundles before being distributed to traders ahead of Vietnam Teacher’s Day, which falls on Friday this year.
Having spent VND4 million on seedlings, Mai expects to earn VND100 million by the season’s end.

A bunch of daisies make its way to the market.