Ms. Mai Thuy Giang in Cau Giay district, Hanoi said that thousand-petal lotus flowers were much cheaper that season. She had just finished putting 10 lotus flowers to make them bloom properly before arranging them in a vase in the living room. Although it took her a bit of effort, the vase was very eye-catching.

She said that this time last year, the thousand-petal lotus flower was not only extremely expensive, up to 400,000 VND/bundle of ten flowers, but the goods were also scarce. Once, she had to order and waited for two weeks straight.

This year, at the beginning of the season, she bought thousand-petal lotus for 170,000 VND/bundle of 10 flowers, and now the price has cooled off to 130,000 VND/bundle. This price was equivalent to super lotus, but compared to Lotos Momo Botan, it was only 20,000-30,000 VND/bundle of 10 flowers more expensive.

However, each time she bought lotuses, Ms. Giang still had to order 2-3 days in advance. 

At the online flower market, thousand-petal lotuses were sold by many people, but there were not enough.

“This lotus is huge and has exactly 1,000 petals, both large and small, which are pleasing to the eye. Lotus flowers are also more durable, but if they do not know how to pat them, they cannot bloom on their own like other types of lotuses," she said.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Lien, a lotus dealer in Phu Dien (Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi), admitted that every time a customer closed a sale to buy a thousand-petal lotus, she had to send a clip showing how to pat the flower so that they could bloom beautifully.

According to Ms. Lien, thousand-petal lotus have been on the market for several years now. At first, most people bought bulbs or lotus seeds to plant as a hobby. At that time, a thousand-petal lotus seed cost from 400,000-500,000 VND, while a lotus pot of this type costs up to a million VND.

Last summer, she and some flower dealers started selling thousands of petals. However, the product was rare because there were not many lotus ponds, and the price was extremely expensive. In the heat of the lotus season, she could only collect and sell a few hundred flowers.

This year, the ponds have planted more, and she can order from familiar leads, so the thousand-petal lotus is back regularly. 

However, the amount of goods depends entirely on the amount of lotus in the ponds. If it is sunny and bright, there will be more, or else, there will be less if it rains. 

There are days when only about a dozen bunches (one hundred flowers) can be delivered. Some, there can be up to 150-200 flowers while some there are none.

“The price of thousand-petal lotus this year is just so affordable, only half the price compared to last year. People have constantly been closing sales.”

Ms. Vu Huyen, who sells fresh flowers online in Cau Giay (Hanoi), said that each time she sells thousands of petals on her personal Facebook page, customers order innumerable quantities, far exceeding the number of lotuses she collected from the ponds.

Having sold lotuses for many years now, this was the first time she imported thousands-petal lotus to sell. Following that, the number of customers ordering this type of lotus far exceeded her initial estimation.

“From the beginning of the season until now, I have only imported three deliveries of thousand-petal lotuses. Each one was around about one hundred flowers. 

“However, every time they are put up for sale, the number for each order was around 500-600 flowers," she shared. Because the demand was much greater than the supply, she had to refuse several dozens of orders.

According to Ms. Huyen, this year, many lotus ponds in Hung Yen have planted thousand-petal lotuses. However, this type of lotus is still difficult to grow, not giving as many flowers as other types of lotuses. Due to the rainy weather, lotuses have fewer flowers.

She imported from 4-5 lotus ponds, but each time she could only get about a dozen bunches. Currently, there is only one delivery a week, but she hopes that when the lotus season is in full bloom, more goods will arrive.

As for the price of a thousand-petal lotus, she confirmed that this year the price is only one-half of the price of last year's season. 

The reason is because, in recent years, in addition to the traditional lotus breeds on the market, there are also many new types of lotuses. The price of lotus also gradually cooled off, and were not as expensive as when they first appeared.

On the market, thousand-petal lotus is for sale at a price of 130,000-200,000 VND/bundle of ten flowers depending on the type. These are all traditional lotus varieties. The owners said that the supply of lotus was not large, so the lotus was always out of stock, and customers who wanted to buy must order in advance or wait for the right time to order because they do not store the order for the following days.

Chau Giang