Hanoi’s Tay Tuu flower village busy for harvesting lilies in full bloom

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Late March to early April marks peak lily harvest in Tay Tuu

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Having worked the lily fields for many years, Ms Thao said her family now grows about 0.4 hectares of lilies, with a cultivation cycle of around six to eight months from planting to harvest.

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“Lily bulbs cost VND140,000 per kilogram; for my garden alone, bulb purchases come to nearly VND100 million. We plant lilies from around July until about the second lunar month before harvest, and there are only two crops a year,” Ms. Thao shares.

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According to Thao, output is lower this year, pushing prices higher to around VND280,000-300,000 per bunch of 100 lilies. Her family mainly sells to traders.

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“Heavy rains and storms this year flooded the fields and damaged the crop. After the storms, we had to pump water out of the fields to save the lily bulbs. Many households were deeply flooded and could not drain the water, losing everything,” she says.

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Heavy rains and storms have left many lily fields in Tay Tuu badly damaged, leaving farmers distressed.

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The pure white of lily blooms, known for their refined beauty and a signature of Hanoi, signals the arrival of summer.

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After being cut in the fields, lilies are stacked and bundled by stem length and number of blooms. Each household can harvest thousands of flowers a day.

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Each stem is carefully selected, trimmed and bundled by farmers before being sent to market.

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The atmosphere in Tay Tuu’s flower fields is bustling, with farmers busily harvesting lilies after more than half a year of cultivation.

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Local growers say lilies require intensive care, with each stage, from selecting bulbs and irrigation to fertilising and monitoring weather conditions, carefully managed to ensure the flowers bloom on time and meet quality standards.

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Many traders come directly to the fields to handpick lilies.

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Nguyen Thi Kim Anh of Tay Tuu ward in Hanoi says her family sources flowers from the village every year to sell at Quang An flower market.

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“Compared with previous years, lilies are more expensive this year due to flooding, with many fields damaged. Prices vary depending on whether they are single or clustered stems, and on stem length. Clustered lilies range from VND280,000 to VND300,000 per bunch of 100 stems, while single-stem lilies are selling at VND500,000-550,000 per bunch (100 stems),” Nguyen Thi Kim Anh shares.