A resident in Tu Ky owns a 10-ton ornamental kumquat tree.

To create pots of tangerines and grapefruits that sell for high prices, Mr. Pham Van Hoan has to graft the fruit in March, pour concrete pots in April, and then graft the trees and shape them close to Tet.

On a 6-meter long reinforced concrete platform, Mr. Hoan placed 5 tangerine pots, then tied them securely. The 5-year-old tangerine trees, full of fruit, were bent into canopies by workers using small steel wires, creating pots in the shapes of dragons, phoenixes, mountains, etc.

After completing the tree shaping, Mr. Hoan built a wall around it and filled it with soil. Depending on the customer's needs, the tree pot can be accompanied by a waterfall and colorful lights running around it.

About 6 years ago, pots weighing several tons often had no customers. For example, in 2018, Mr. Hoan put kumquat trees in large pots shaped like seashells and boats, but they did not sell. After that, he had to change and create smaller pots.

But for the past 4 years, at the end of each year, Mr. Hoan has sold about 10-20 large potted plants. In order to have them ready to sell in time for Tet, he poured concrete slabs in April, then made pillars and connected everything together. Only when Tet was near did he think about what to do with that concrete slab.

Not only tangerines, Mr. Hoan also grafts grapefruit pots from two, three or even more trees to sell during Tet. This year, he created about 20 grapefruit pots. The grapefruit trees were grafted with more than a hundred fruits from March, when the fruits were still green, round, with large stems, weighing 2.5-3 taels.

After grafting the fruit onto the tree, Mr. Hoan covered it with a sunshade, watered it regularly, fertilized it every 15-20 days, and waited until the end of the year for the fruit to ripen before putting it in a pot. "If the fruit is not carefully cared for after grafting, it can fall off at any time," he explained.

Grapefruit pots shaped like dragons usually have two floors, the upper floor is for plants, the lower floor can hold water and raise fish. The edge of the pot is also used to plant plants and run lights.

Each grapefruit pot sells for 50-100 million VND, of which the transportation cost alone accounts for more than 1/3 of the value. About a month before Tet, these grapefruit pots will be delivered to the buyer or renter. Three months later, if the customer has a need, Mr. Hoan will come back with a crane to take care of them, the price for care is 30-60 million VND depending on the pot.

Many households in Lien Nghia have started to follow Mr. Hoan’s idea. This year, large pots are placed at the entrance of each garden to attract attention.

Mr. Ly Van Tong, Chairman of Lien Nghia Commune People's Committee, said that Mr. Pham Van Hoan is an architect, so he often creates unique and artistic flower pots. He is one of two pioneers in the commune to create large flower pots, contributing to diversifying Tet products and increasing the value of ornamental plants.

For many years, Van Giang district has become the "capital" of ornamental grapefruit to serve the Lunar New Year market, creating a brand. Since May, Van Giang farmers have entered the season of grafting fruit onto ornamental grapefruit trees. Currently, the district has about 150 hectares of ornamental grapefruit concentrated in Lien Nghia commune, Long Hung commune and Van Giang town.