Bui Ai Trinh, 29, in Binh Tan district, HCM City, is a preschool teacher. She has been very busy these days after work doing an extra job – decorating fruit to be displayed on Tet.

Trinh began drawing and writing calligraphy on fruits, such as watermelon, coconut and pomelo four years ago. Previously, she bought red gold-plated paper, stuck the paper on fruits, and then painted on the paper.

This year, she decided to create new products. She sprays paints on fruit peels to create space for drawing decorative patterns. 

“My husband helps choose colors and spray paints. We mostly choose yellow and color paints which suit the atmosphere of Tet days and spring,” she said.

After the paint dries, she draws decorative patterns, such as peach blossom petals and apricot flowers, or writes calligraphy and good New Year wishes. She also decorates fruits to customers’ requests and sells products for VND100,000-500,000 each.

Meanwhile, Huynh Thuy Thuong, 31, decorates fresh coconuts. Coconut is part of the five-fruit tray that Vietnamese put on altars on Tet days. Coconuts can be displayed for a long time.

Like Trinh, Thuong mostly draws patterns suited to Tet atmosphere on a gold lame background. In addition to writing calligraphy and wishes, she also stylizes 12 zodiac animals to make the products more attractive.

In Ninh Thuan province, Truong Thi Loan, born in 1992, also creates drawings on fresh coconuts. However, she only draws cats and yellow fish on the peel of the fruit.

This is the first time Loan has done the job. However, with her skillful hands, the drawings of cats are highly appreciated.

“I love cats and I have a job related to arts, so I decided to draw cats on coconuts, as 2023 is the year of the Cat,” she said, adding that it takes her five hours to complete one product, from choosing coconut to cleaning, plating gold, spraying paint and drawing.

Loan’s products are VND390,000 for a couple of coconuts.

In general, the jobs can bring high income to decorators. Loan said she has to refuse some orders as she doesn’t have enough time.

Truong also confirmed that the income from the jobs is good, but she does not take orders providing products in large quantities to fruit granaries. 

Trinh said she can earn VND20 million within one month from this job.

Wealthy people tend to display gold-plated fruits on Tet days. The prices of these products are high, from VND500,000 to VND2.5 million. 

Ha Nguyen