In the garden on Truong Van Da street (Binh Loi ward, TP HCM), Dau Thanh Tung displays hundreds of ornamental coconut trees shaped like horses, the zodiac animal for Tet Binh Ngo. This marks his seventh year creating zodiac-shaped coconut bonsai.

This Tet season, he created 200 horse figures, selling each for about 550,000 VND. The bonsai come in two forms: winged mythical horses painted gold, and a basic type retaining the coconut's natural color.

To create these coconut bonsai pots, Tung imported Siamese coconut seedlings from the region six months ago for propagation. Once the plants reached about 15 to 20 cm in height, he began shaping them. Throughout the growing period, artisans must bend leaves, form roots, and elevate the coconut base to achieve an aesthetic shape.

“Breaking a young sprout means it's discarded. Every step must be timed precisely,” said Tung.

Parts of the horse, such as the head, ears, nose, and wings, are crafted from dried coconut, then smoothed and glued before being polished and painted for decoration.

In addition to horse figures, he also creates about 600 other zodiac animals and hydroponic coconut bonsai, depending on customer orders, priced from 550,000 VND to 2,5 million VND per plant.

More than 50 km away, Anh Tu's workshop (28 years old) in the former Bien Hoa city produces hundreds of gold-leafed coconuts. This Tet season, the workshop produced 7,000 gold-plated coconuts, a more than 20% increase from last year. “This year saw more orders, but primarily wholesale, so prices did not increase significantly,” said Tu.

The coconuts used for plating are mature Ben Tre coconuts, weighing from 3 to 5 kg. They must be large and mature to prevent stem breakage, water leakage, and to ensure they are firm and long-lasting for display. 24K gold leaf is applied to the surface of the coconuts and then brushed smooth. The coconuts are then adorned with decorative accessories like horse figures or various flowers, leaves, ornaments, and glitter. Each year, the workshop commissions a specific mold to create accessories corresponding to the zodiac animal.

These shimmering gold coconuts, adorned with flowers, bows, dragons, phoenixes, and prosperity symbols, are sold for 350,000 VND to 1,2 million VND per pair.

The most expensive are pairs of coconuts decorated with stylized prosperity characters, embellished with various flowers, peacock feathers, and ornamental balls, priced at 1,2 million VND. “This design features large coconuts, intricate crafting, and includes a stand and flashing lights, which accounts for the price,” Anh Tu explained.

Basic types featuring characters like 'ma dao thanh cong' (success upon arrival), 'phuc' (happiness), 'loc' (prosperity), and 'tho' (longevity) are priced from 350,000 VND to 600,000 VND per pair. These are best-selling items, receiving the most customer orders.

For the past three years, about two months before Tet, Tuan Tuyen's facility in Tru Van Tho commune, TP HCM, has also been busy producing gold-leafed coconuts. This season, the workshop produced 1,000 coconuts, a four-fold increase from last year, primarily for wholesale customers in TP HCM and neighboring provinces.

Coconuts, considered “full of water and flesh,” symbolize abundance and prosperity. Adding gold leaf further enhances their meaning of wealth and fortune. “Therefore, this item attracts customers every year, and everyone has to work until late to fulfill orders,” the workshop owner explained.

This year, his workshop created gold-leafed coconut designs shaped like money bags and warhorses, with prices ranging from 350,000 VND to 500,000 VND per pair.

Quynh Tran