Red grapefruit, Dien grapefruit, Ky Da grapefruit, Canh orange, Buddha’s hand… all grow well on a tree trunk that is in full ripeness, hidden in the green canopy. Creating colorful pots of five-fruit trees to attract customers during the Lunar New Year of the Goat.

 Near Lunar New Year, a colorful fruit garden of an old farmer in Hanoi with more than 30 ripening trees is a place attracting customers.

 That is the garden of Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh (49 years old) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa (48 years old) in Ngoc Truc village, Dai Mo (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi). Currently, the family’s 30-tree garden of five-fruit trees has been booked by customers.

Ms. Hoa shared that her family started grafting the five-fruit tree 8 years ago. All the cutting and grafting was done by her husband. At first, due to lack of experience, the grafting failed.  

 After that, Mr. Tinh went down to learn about fruit grafting from Mr. Le Duc Giap – the pioneer in grafting five-fruit trees in Hanoi. After learning more, Mr. Tinh created his own five-fruit tree pots.

Still based on the mother tree trunks of Dien grapefruit trees with large and strong roots, Mr. Tinh grafted colorful fruits such as red grapefruit, Dien grapefruit, Ky Da grapefruit, Canh orange, and Buddha’s hand onto the trees to create five-fruit trees different from Mr. Giap’s garden.

 The potted plants in full bloom stand out in the garden with their colorful variety: the bright red of red grapefruit, the orange of Canh orange, the bright yellow of Dien grapefruit, and Buddha’s hand. 

 The Dragon Fruit is a new fruit and was first tested by Mr. Tinh and grafted onto the five-fruit tree. 

 To graft a beautiful five-fruit tree that ripens in time for Tet, the timing of grafting the fruits onto the tree is most important. According to Ms. Hoa, grafting is only done for about 2 months from April to June.

Canh oranges and Dien grapefruits will be grafted onto the tree first, followed by red grapefruits and Ky Da grapefruits. Buddha’s hand will be grafted last because this fruit ripens the fastest.

 Most of the fruits are grafted when they are small, only the size of a human fingertip. After about half a year of care and fertilization, the fruits will grow normally and ripen right in time for Tet.

 Bright, vibrant red grapefruits are the highlight of the five-fruit tree pot in Mr. Tinh and Mrs. Hoa’s house. 

 The five-fruit tree symbolizes five generations in the family: ancestors, grandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren. Worshiping the five-fruit tree is with the wish to bring prosperity and many children and grandchildren. 

 Five-fruit trees with all five types of fruit, flowers and young shoots are sought after by many customers. Such trees are priced at 10 million VND/tree. Other trees are priced from 7 million VND or more.

According to Ms. Hoa, next year, her family will invest in a larger area and will try to hybridize more pots of five-fruit, seven-fruit, and nine-fruit trees to serve the needs of many customers.