During Tet holiday in the southwestern region, a yellow apricot tree is a must-have. Almost every house has a yellow apricot tree or a branch of it. To them, “mai” (yellow apricot) means luck.

In Dong Hau Hamlet, Dong Binh Commune, Binh Minh Town, Vinh Long Province, Mr. Nguyen Van Doi’s old yellow apricot trees look gorgeous. His yellow apricot trees have wide foliage, and are eight meters in diameter.

He and his wife had to pick off leaves for four days. “This type of yellow apricot tree spreads its branches and foliage. I do not need to curl the branches as they form themselves,” Mr. Doi said.

“As I love this old yellow apricot tree, I did not prune it. I built trusses to prevent its branches from falling. The stump is enclosed with net to keep it from animals or strangers,” he said. Someone offered him four billion VND to buy the old tree. But he did not agree.

Phuoc Dinh (in Long Ho District, Vinh Long Province) is famous for its ancient precious yellow apricot trees’ stumps.

During Tet, many young adults visit Phuoc Dinh Village to take pictures. While visiting Ho Tan Dat’s Garden, Ms. Ho Thi Truc Linh (25, Hoa Phuoc Commune, Long Ho District) noted that it is the biggest yellow apricot garden in the area.

More than 150 families in Phuoc Dinh village plant yellow apricot trees. There are over 550 trees that are at least 100 years old, around 11,000 trees 50 to 100 years old, 20,000 trees 10 to 50 years old, and dozens of small trees less than 10 years old.

Ancient yellow apricot trees in Phuoc Dinh Village.

Yellow apricot trees appear in almost every house in the Southwest region these days.