Vietnam´s official travel and tourism guide

FLOWERS               
Lotus (Hoa Sen)
The lotus is a plant with a flexible trunk that lives mainly in water. According to legend, it appeared one hundred million years ago. There are several varieties of lotus, including a type of lotus with a red trunk and double petals called qui. Another variety with a very small trunk, leaves, and flowers is called tich thuong. Ordinarily, these are planted in pots or water tanks.
The lotus scent is mildly perfumed, and the plant has many uses. For example, the flower is ordinarily used in worshipping ceremonies. Its pistil has white grains used in scenting tea. Lotus leaves serve to wrap food products, or to wrap com (green rice flakes). Lotus seeds are used to prepare a tonic, make sweet drinks (che), accompany chicken to make soup, etc. When dried and simmered, the tarn (central longitudinal part of a lotus pip) makes a good tranquilliser.
In Viet Nam, the lotus is classified as one the "four gentlemen" flowers along with pine, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. The lotus is also classified as one in the four qui (four seasons), which also includes orchid, chrysan­themum, and apricot. Lotus is the symbol of summer because it blossoms in summer when there is a lot of sunlight and its scent lightly perfumes the air all around the pond.
Chrysanthemum (Hoa Cuc)
The chrysanthemum is a type of beautiful flower with a mild and secretive scent. Its petals do not fall like those of roses or other flowers, which is why chrysanthemums are often placed on altars.
They can be displayed in various ways, such as in a vase, a pot, a bowl, or planted in jars to decorate the house, or be placed on the balcony or on the veranda. Chrysanthemums are classified into two classes, single or double flowers. All the varieties have very refined and soft colours; there are yellow and white flowers. Chrysanthemums are planted all year round.
The chrysanthemum is often looked upon as an intimate friend, classified as one of the "gentleman" flowers. The chrysanthemum has many uses in art and medicine. Orchids (Hoa Lan)
Orchids are sovereign flowers that are enchantingly beautiful. The orchid is one of the four plants that symbolise the four sea­sons, and one of the four plants to symbolise the "gentleman".

Orchids usually grow on the trunks of very high, big trees, located on cliffs where it is humid and where sun­light is abun­dant. There are two groups of orchids, including aerial orchids (phong Ian) and terrestrial orchids (dia Ian). Aerial orchids usually have their roots anchored in high, big trees and their branches hang down from the tree trunks. They have very thin petals, but their colours are time enduring. Their scent is very mild, soft, and pure. Terrestrial orchids, on the contrary, have their roots anchored in the earth or a hollow in a rock where there is humus or litter. The terrestrial orchids, with varieties that include bach cap, to tarn, hoang vu, anh kirn, hac dinh, loan diem, etc., have bright colours and mild and flowing scents. Orchids come from the mountainous regions of the country, but because of their amiable beauty, they are present in all the famous flower villages on the plains. The Da Lat Flower Garden is an almost complete collection of all of the precious and rare orchids of Viet Nam. Peach Flower (Hoa Dao) The peach flower plant grows only in North Viet Nam. It is the special flower of the Vietnamese New Year because of its red colour, which is believed to bring many favourable opportunities throughout the year. There are four varieties of peach flowers. The dao bich has a deep rosy colour and the plant bears many flowers; it is usually planted in jars or pots for entertaining during the New Year. The dao phai (pale peach flower) flower is a pale rosy colour and the plant bears many flowers, but is generally planted for its fruits. The dao bach (white peach flower) is relatively difficult to grow. These three varieties of peach flowers all bear double flowers. The thon plant is small and low; the flowers are small and of many colours. Among those colours, those that are deep red are generally grown in pots and their trunks and branches generally bend so that it becomes an ornamental plant. The sprigs of the peach flowers from the village of Nhat Tan are a precious gift sent to relatives living in the South on the occasion of the New Year. The peach flower plant and its flowers are now present in many European countries.
Yellow Apricot Flower (Hoa Mai)
If the peach flower is the symbol of Tet in the North, then the yellow apricot flower is its counterpart in the South. The yellow apricot fe. flower belongs to the family of hoang mai fe (meaning "yellow apricot" in Chinese), which is a forest plant.

The trunk and sprigs of the yellow apricot flower are suppler than those of the peach plant. The flowers grow in bunches and have stalks that hang loosely near the branches at the side of the leaves. The flowers are yellow and their scent is modestly secretive. The leaves of the yellow apricot flower fall in the winter. There are varieties of yellow apricot, including mai tu qui (apricot of all seasons) and nhi do mai, which begin to produce red coloured fruit after blossoming. Mai chieu thuy, the aquatic variety of apricot flower, has small leaves and small flowers that blossom in white, scented bunches. Mai chieu thuy, which blossoms in the spring, is generally planted in small rock gardens. Its trunk and branches are trimmed and bent so that it becomes a sculptured plant. The apricot plant, which is planted to give flowers on the occasion of the New Year is planted from seeds or by the grafting of branches. The plant can be planted in gardens, in flowerbeds, or in pots.
Bonsais (Cay The)
These are plants, such as the Benjamin fig, tung (a variety of pine), cypress, pine, bamboo, and streblus, which are grown in decorative pots. The plants are bent, trimmed and grafted to become decorative plants resembling secular trees while maintaining proportion with the size of its pot. Each plant has a position that carries a theme; thus, each has a different identity.
There are those, which are vertical with a lumpy root resembling a secular tree, and there are those that have trunks that grow horizontally. If two plants have a common root and one is bigger than the other, the plants are said to have "the positions of a father and a son" or of "two brothers", etc.
Rock Gardens
In this form of entertainment, the gardener creates a natural landscape that is majestic, but miniaturised. In the rockwork, miniaturized rock garden, there are mountains, grottoes,trees, forests, rivers, bridges, people, and animals.Each rock garden is created according to a theme most often coming from classical literature. The pleasure of building rock gardens comes, not only from the choosing of suitable trees and beautiful mountains, but from the compiling of many calcareous stone blocks that are severely eroded and bearing many high peaks, deep grottoes, etc. Sometimes, the rockwork builder is compelled to assemble many rocks together to create the impression of mountains and forests. Moss is a plant that is never lacking in a rockwork. Moss is to the rock garden, as grass and trees are to the landscape. The practice of growing and appreciating flowers and decorative plants has become a part of the Vietnamese soul and culture.