Vietnamese flower customs: what to send, and when
In Vietnam the occasion decides the flowers more than personal taste does. A white wreath means one thing, a pot of yellow blossom another, and getting it wrong is noticed. This guide covers the occasions people most often send flowers for from abroad, and how to time a delivery from another time zone.
Tết (Lunar New Year)
Tết is the biggest holiday of the year. It follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves: in 2027, Lunar New Year’s Day falls on 6 February. Families fill the house with flowering branches and potted plants that stand for luck and a good year ahead.
- Yellow apricot blossom (hoa mai)
The Tết flower of the South, including Saigon. Yellow is the colour of luck and prosperity.
- Peach blossom (hoa đào)
Its northern counterpart, in Hanoi and across the North: pink branches for a fresh start.
- Kumquat trees (cây quất)
Potted trees heavy with small orange fruit, a wish for abundance, seen above all in the North.
- Moth orchids (lan hồ điệp)
One of the most popular Tết gifts between families and between companies. A good plant stays in flower for weeks, well past the holiday.
- Chrysanthemums and marigolds
Pots of yellow chrysanthemums and marigolds (vạn thọ, “ten thousand years of life”) stand for longevity.
Timing matters more than the choice. Most florists in Vietnam close for several days over Tết, and the week before it is the busiest of the year, so order well before the holiday starts; we publish our cut-off on the homepage each January. See our Tết flowers and orchid pots.
Funerals and condolences
Funeral flowers in Vietnam are formal and restrained. The usual forms are a standing wreath for the funeral hall and a smaller basket if you visit in person, each with a sash, a ribbon banner carrying a line of condolence and the sender’s name.
- Colours
White leads: white chrysanthemums, lilies, roses and orchids, with greenery. A little yellow or soft purple is accepted, especially for someone who lived to a great age. Avoid the bright colours used for celebrations.
- The sash
Common lines are “Thành kính phân ưu” (sincere sympathy) and “Vô cùng thương tiếc” (deeply mourned). The right wording depends on your relationship to the family and differs by region; tell us the relationship and the name to print, and we will word it.
- Timing
A funeral in Vietnam usually lasts a few days, at the family home or a funeral home, and ends with the burial or cremation. The flowers should arrive before the viewing begins, so give us the address and the hour of the service in Vietnam time.
Our guide to condolence flowers covers the forms and the wording in more detail, and the condolence collection shows the arrangements.
Birthdays
Birthdays have no strict rules: roses, mixed bouquets and sunflowers are all common, and a birthday is the most frequent reason people send flowers home from abroad. For older relatives, milestone birthdays (mừng thọ, celebrated from around 60 or 70) are longevity celebrations with the family gathered, and an orchid pot or a large basket suits them better than a small bouquet.
One thing to avoid for anyone living: an all-white arrangement, and white chrysanthemums in particular. In Vietnam they belong to funerals and ancestral altars. See birthday flowers.
Women’s Days, Vu Lan and Teachers’ Day
- 8 March and 20 October
International Women’s Day and Vietnamese Women’s Day are both major flower days: mothers, wives, colleagues and teachers all receive flowers. Order a day or more ahead, because by mid-morning the good stems are gone. See 8 March and 20 October.
- Vu Lan
The full-moon day of the seventh lunar month, usually in August or early September: a Buddhist festival honouring parents, above all mothers. Flowers for mothers are common around it.
- 20 November
Vietnamese Teachers’ Day, when students and parents give flowers to teachers.
Sending flowers to Vietnam from abroad
Nothing travels internationally: Flosa is a florist in Vietnam. You order on our site, the flowers are arranged in Vietnam on the day of delivery, we deliver across the country, and we send you a photo when they are handed over. You pay online when you order, by international card (Visa, Mastercard, JCB) or PayPal; no Vietnamese bank account is needed. Delivery dates and times run on Vietnam time (GMT+7).
More: gift ideas for Vietnamese parents · the lotus, Vietnam’s national flower.