Weirdly-shaped fruits as unique Tet gifts
Print Gourd-shaped pomelos, sycee-shaped melons and square watermelons are among this year’s widely advertised and much sought-after Tet gifts. The price of these one-of-a-kind gifts has increased by 1.5 times over last year.
Melon gold bars’ price – as good as gold
Sycee-shaped melons, priced from VND5,500,000 to VND6,500,000 (Ú$333) per pair.
This year, weirdly-shaped melons are still considered one of the extraordinary gifts for Tet, not only for their shapes but also for their unprecedented price.
Sycee-shaped melons are exorbitantly priced from VND5,500,000 to VND6,500,000 per pair (US$333). Square green watermelons have also soared to VND2,500,000 - VND3,000,000/pair, while yellow ones VND3,000,000 – VND3,500,000.
Le Minh Tuan, seller of these melons on the website thegioiquatet.vn, further described that sycee-shaped melons have red flesh, weighing from 2.2 to 2.4kg, while square melons weigh around 2.5kg, with each side 14cm in length. These types of melons can last for as long as normal ones.
Square green and yellow melons range from 2,500,000 to 3,500,000 dongs/pair.
Despite the price, around 30 customers have already pre-ordered these melons.
The store owner also noted that they would stop receiving orders from the 24th of the last lunar month because “these melons are very expensive, thus requiring great care in their transportation; besides, they are quite limited in number, so orders must be made as soon as possible.”
Gourd-shaped pomelos of wealth and prosperity
Gourd-shaped pomelos range from VND500,000 to VND850,000 a pair
On the website vatgia.com.vn, a very catchy ad for gourd-shaped pomelos that has drawn a lot of attention reads, “Gourds are the symbols for prosperity and peace. In feng-shui, gourds are the indispensible tools to neutralize evil spirit and bring good health…”
Quoc, owner of the ad and also a seller on cuahangtructuyen.net, said that he had three different types of gourd-shaped pomelos with three very distinguished prices. Type 1 have embossed word “Tai” (Wealth) or “Loc” (Prosperity) on their skins, with full stems and leaves, and come with a basket.
Type 2 also have full stems and leaves but no embossed word on their peel. A couple of days ago, type 1 were sold for VND650,000/pair and type 2 VND450,000/pair; however, until today, January 5, type 1 have gone up to VND850,000/pair while type 2 have also increased to VND500,000.
Orders of over 10 pairs will enjoy a 20% discount, the ad says.
Most expensive is the “Special gourd-shaped pomelos”, which are highly selected with clearly embossed word “Tai” (Wealth), or “Loc” (Prosperity) on their peels, weighing around 1.5kg each. This special type can be 30 to 50% more expensive than type 1, depending on weight and design.
Bought directly from Vo Trung Thanh’s orchard in Hau Giang, these pomelos already cost VND300,000 a pair.
Quoc has received over 20 orders in these few days and he expects more orders to come until the 20th of the last lunar month.
Last year, Quoc said he had to turn down many late orders.
Gourd-shaped pomelos are copyrighted products of Vo Trung Thanh from Phu Huu Ward, Chau Thanh District, in Hau Giang Province, and have been acknowledged by the National Office of Intellectual Rights.
Last year, he provided the market with 600 gourd-shaped pomelos, and this year promises a number of 4,200 ones with embossed good-luck words.
While Thanh turned normal Vietnamese Nam Roi pomelos into gourd-shaped ones, Tran Thanh Liem from Binh Thuy District in Can Tho City could turn round melons into sycee or square shapes.
This year, Liem has grown about 300 melon vines, which may yield approximately 200 pairs of square melons and 30 pairs of sycee-shaped ones.
