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In Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities at this time of year, potted kumquat trees fastened to motorbike seats dodge and weave through traffic in a haze of orange. Families buy them as symbols of luck and good fortune for the new Lunar New Year, which started on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
This year a typhoon and extreme heat dented the harvest, scrambling prices for kumquats and other ornamental plants associated with the holiday, which is known as Tet in Vietnam. Some people bought smaller kumquats or switched to less expensive options, like orchids or persimmon branches<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ornamental plant farmers are now stuck with unsold inventory after months of price swings in the market. In the case of kumquats, wholesale prices initially rose because of limited supply. Then they cratered for a lack of demand linked to consumer jitters and a perception that this year\u2019s golf-ball-size kumquat fruits do not look very pretty.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all in a sad mood,\u201d Nguyen Thi Hoa, 39, who grows kumquat trees near Hanoi\u2019s Red River, said of the ornamental plant farmers in her corner of the capital. Unsold kumquat trees stood beside her, each selling for about 600,000 Vietnamese dong, or $24. That is at least 40 percent less than in a typical year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It would be hard to overstate how important the Lunar New Year is to Vietnamese people \u2014 imagine Christmas and Thanksgiving combined \u2014 or how ubiquitous kumquat trees are across Vietnam and parts of neighboring China as the holiday approaches. The squat citrus plants are a regular presence in living rooms, shops and office lobbies.<\/p>\n