Death anniversary flowers in Vietnam

A giỗ is the yearly remembrance of a family member who has passed: the family gathers, cooks the dishes the person loved, and sets flowers and fruit on the altar. It follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves every year. If your partner or in-laws are in Vietnam, sending flowers for a parent’s or grandparent’s giỗ is one of the most appreciated things you can do from abroad.

What to send

• Yellow or white chrysanthemums: the standard altar flower, long-lasting and sober. Arranged in a vase or a round basket placed beside the altar.
• Gladiolus or tuberose: tall straight stems with a light scent, the traditional choice for an ancestral altar.
• Lotus or orchids: lotus for a Buddhist altar; a white or yellow phalaenopsis orchid for a large family altar, lasting several weeks.
• A fruit basket: a five-fruit basket for the altar, sometimes with tea or cakes.

Avoid bright, heavily scented or party-style arrangements. Keep the card short: your name and “In loving memory of …”, or leave it blank and let the family light the incense. A funeral wreath with a ribbon is for the funeral itself, not for a giỗ.

Timing

Ask the family for this year’s solar date (or the lunar date; we convert it). Deliver the day before or the morning of the giỗ, the offering is usually at midday. Ho Chi Minh City is delivered by our own drivers; Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho, Nha Trang and other provinces through partner florists, so order a day ahead. Pay by card or PayPal; you get a photo of the real flowers before delivery.

A reminder every year

Enter this year’s date once and we convert it to the lunar calendar and email you a week before the correct date every year, in your language. Tết, Women’s Day and her birthday can go on the same list: Vietnamese occasion reminders. At checkout you can also pick “Death anniversary” and tick “remind me next year”.

Altar flowers Fruit basket for the altar