These bonsai are shaped like rats and were made to order in small quantities. They take about a year to grow and a meticulous hand is needed to shape them so that all the fruit is exposed, as reported by VTV, a subsidiary of CNN.
Kumquats, a citrus with an acidic touch, grow on ornamental trees. And the more ripe fruit a tree has, the higher its price will be, with a bonsai going up to $ 215.
The kumquat tree has deep orange fruits and is a popular ornamental plant in Vietnam and some parts of Asia during the Lunar New Year because its numerous fruits symbolize fertility, abundance and luck. It is believed that the more fruit you have on the tree, the luckier your family will have in the new year.
The first day of the lunar new year, known as Tet in Vietnam, falls on January 25 and marks the beginning of the year of the rat in the Chinese zodiac. Many people who celebrate the festival prepare by cleaning the spring and decorating their homes.
Ornamental flowers and expensive fruit trees for the Lunar New Year are a trend in Vietnam this year, leading to increased production of unusual flowers and plants, according to the state newspaper Viet Nam News.
Bonsai tree plantations in Ben Tre province in southern Vietnam annually produce about 300,000 different products, a third of which are animal-shaped trees, VTV reported.