In Vietnam the opening day of a company, a shop or a new project is treated as an important day: it marks the start of the road ahead, and people care that it goes well. Friends, suppliers and business partners send flowers, and a row of tall opening arrangements at the entrance is part of how the day looks and feels. Choosing grand-opening flowers is a small art in itself, because each flower and colour is read as a particular wish. This guide from Flosa explains how to choose by flower, by colour and by type of arrangement, so that your gift suits both your relationship with the owner and the scale of the event.
What do grand-opening flowers mean?
An opening is more than the first day a business unlocks its doors. It is seen as the milestone that begins a career or a venture, and it carries the owner’s hopes that things will run smoothly and that money and success will follow.
Sending opening flowers on that day is the usual way to pass on your good wishes. The set phrase is khai trương hồng phát (“may your opening bring flourishing prosperity”), and you will see it printed on banners and cards everywhere. Fresh, bright flowers also do a practical job: they decorate the space and make the day feel lively and cheerful. A generous arrangement of congratulation flowers is also taken as a mark of standing, both for the business and for the person who receives it.
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Which flowers should you send for an opening?
The principle is simple: choose flowers that stand for luck and prosperity, and for the hope that the business will enjoy thuận buồm xuôi gió (“fair winds and smooth sailing”). These are the flowers most often used in Vietnam, and what each is understood to say.
Sunflower: the ambition to go far
The flower chosen most often, and the one Flosa would name first, is the sunflower. A large, sturdy bloom that turns its face to the sun, it stands for confidence and the strength to reach for success.
That is why sunflowers appear at so many openings. They are given to wish the owner a shop that trades well, vạn sự như ý (“may everything go as you wish”), and a business that grows more prosperous by the day.
Lavish Lustre flower stand (GT14), an elegant choice for an opening
Gerbera: a wish for wealth and plenty
The gerbera is a daisy-like flower that is very common across Asia. Its Vietnamese name, hoa đồng tiền, literally means “coin flower”, and as the name suggests it is taken to stand for wealth, abundance and good luck. That makes it a favourite for opening arrangements meant as a blessing.
Gerberas also come in many colours, including red, yellow, pink and orange, so there is plenty of room to match the taste of the person receiving them.
Khúc Hát Mê Ly (“Enchanting Song”) opening stand (HCM59) with red gerberas, a colour considered lucky
Phalaenopsis orchid: the queen of elegance and prosperity
For elegance and prestige, nothing is chosen more often than the phalaenopsis orchid. It has long been called the “queen of orchids” in Vietnam for its poised, refined beauty. Each stem carries balanced, soft blooms shaped like hovering butterflies, and the plant is rich in meaning: a pot of phalaenopsis on opening day is regarded as the most respectful congratulation of all, a wish for complete success, lasting prosperity and wealth for the owner.
Its graceful look also lifts the room and makes any business premises feel smart and professional. The plant lasts well too. A pot can stay in bloom for many weeks, even a few months with proper care, which people read as a reminder of steady, lasting growth. At Flosa the orchids are carefully selected and come in pure white, bright yellow, soft purple and gentle pink.
Phú Quý Trọn Đời, LHĐ75 (“Wealth for a Lifetime”) phalaenopsis orchid pot
Oncidium orchid: a dance of joy and luck
The oncidium is known in Vietnamese as lan vũ nữ, the “dancing-lady orchid”, because its unusual blooms look like dancers caught mid-step. It gives an arrangement movement and energy, and it stands for luck, joy and an exciting new start.
Proud Of You opening stand (GT51) with oncidium orchids
Mokara orchid: vitality and lasting growth
The mokara orchid combines bright colour with real staying power. It is usually taken to mean vigorous growth, prosperity and solid, well-founded success in business.
Red Victor opening stand (HCM62) with yellow mokara orchids and red roses, a colour considered lucky
Anthurium: hospitality and good fortune
The anthurium is a familiar sight at openings and product launches, and in family living rooms too. Its bloom is heart-shaped and red, with a long, slender white spike at the centre, and it is notably long-lived.
It is understood to express hospitality and to bring fortune and plenty to the owner, so it suits an opening well, and it also works as a gift for family and friends on other important occasions.
Hạnh Phúc (“Happiness”) desk flower box for an opening (HCH86), a wish of good luck to the business owner
Lisianthus: a wish for luck and for everything to go well
The lisianthus owes its place at openings to its Vietnamese name, cát tường, which means “good fortune”. It stands for a lucky and successful beginning, and it is a natural choice when you want to wish someone a smooth start.
It is a gentle, graceful flower with thin, finely layered petals, and it comes in pure white, soft pink, romantic purple and green, the colour of hope. Each colour has its own shade of meaning, but taken together a full basket of lisianthus says abundance, fulfilment and a business that starts smoothly and does well.
Lisianthus basket for an opening (HG21)
Rose: joy and growth
The rose is not only the messenger of love and romance. At an opening it stands for joy, celebration and a beginning full of enthusiasm. Roses come in a huge range of colours and each carries its own message, which makes them a flexible gift, easy to send to relatives and friends on their opening day as a sincere and affectionate congratulation.
Red and orange roses: passion, burning enthusiasm and strong determination.
Yellow roses: success, prosperity and plentiful fortune.
Purple roses: honour, greatness and a flourishing future.
See also: What the number of roses means
Hồng Phát (“Flourishing Prosperity”) opening arrangement (HCM04)
Lily: honour and endurance
The lily is a symbol of victory and honour, and of things that endure. Given at an opening it carries a positive message: may the business achieve great things and keep growing for a long time.
An Lành (“Peace and Wellbeing”) opening stand (HCM46) with pink lilies
Hydrangea: prosperity and fulfilment
With its full, rounded flower heads, the hydrangea stands for completeness, prosperity and good fortune. It is a wish that the owner’s business will always have the wind behind it and yield good results.
Opening flower basket of hydrangeas mixed with roses, in green, the colour of hope
The “happiness flower” (ornamental ginger): joy and plenty
Ornamental ginger is sold in Vietnam under the name hoa hạnh phúc, the “happiness flower”. It has striking, vivid flower heads, usually red or pink. True to its name, it stands for joy, complete happiness and a comfortable, well-provided life. Giving it on opening day is a meaningful wish in its own right: may the owner and the business always be full of joy and see good results.
Đại Cát (“Great Good Fortune”) opening arrangement (HCM01)
Peony chrysanthemum: wealth and a regal look
The peony chrysanthemum, a large chrysanthemum whose many layers of petals open into a full, round bloom like a peony, has a rich and stately look that people associate with wealth and prosperity. It stands for riches and honour, regal beauty and a bright future, and it suits an opening gift that carries hopes of splendid growth.
Hưng Phát (“Rising Prosperity”) opening stand (HCM54) with peony chrysanthemums
Snapdragon: strength and luck
The snapdragon has an odd-shaped bloom that Vietnamese names compare to a wolf’s muzzle or a goldfish, and it comes in many fresh colours. It is usually taken to mean inner strength, grace and good luck. In some cultures it is also believed to keep misfortune away, offering protection and a favourable start.
Sunny desk flower box for an opening (HCH73) with snapdragons
Bird of paradise: the ambition to rise high
The bird of paradise, shaped like a bird spreading its wings in flight, is a symbol of freedom, of the ambition to reach new heights, and of a brilliant, successful future. At an opening it makes a strong wish: may the business take great strides, achieve outstanding things and fly high and far in the market.
Nhiệt Huyết (“Enthusiasm”) flower stand (GT10)
Which colours should opening flowers be?
Once you have settled on the flowers, think about the main colour of the arrangement, so that it fits the theme and the mood of the first day of business. These are the meanings commonly attached to each colour in Vietnam.
Red: used a great deal at Tết, the Lunar New Year, to stand for fortune, luck and plenty in the time ahead. For the same reason, an arrangement that is mainly red is a meaningful gift on the first day a business welcomes customers, and it goes naturally with the wish khai trương hồng phát.
Yellow: yellow makes people think of gold and precious things. As a main colour it has always signified wealth and nobility, and it was much used in royal palaces.
Orange: a blend of red and yellow, so it too is taken to stand for luck and wealth. Orange also feels lively, young and cheerful, which suits almost any opening party or product launch.
Pink: the colour of happiness and plenty. If you want to wish someone a prosperous opening and smooth sailing, this gentle colour is a safe choice.
Green and blue: these shades stand for nature, and so for constant growth and strong renewal. An arrangement that is mainly green, dotted with yellow or white flowers, is both a fine gift and a very pleasing decoration for the first day.
Purple: usually represents luxury or authority. Because it is a mix of blue and red, it is also given their qualities of luck and continual growth.
The colours of the company logo: every company or shop has its own brand colours, the ones customers recognise at a glance, and many owners choose them with feng shui in mind. Picking opening flowers in the main colour of the logo is a thoughtful touch that shows you have paid attention to the recipient.
Opening flower arrangements in many colours at Flosa
Choosing by type of arrangement
Fresh flowers on opening day are not only a gift. They are put on display, and they help create the festive mood of the ceremony. Depending on the scale of the event and on taste, there are several formats to choose from.
Flower stands
The tall flower stand is the most common and most formal choice for the opening of a company or a large shop. It is big, built in several tiers and combines many kinds of flowers, so it looks imposing, courteous and prestigious. A row of handsome stands at the door does a great deal to make the ceremony feel lively and memorable.
Large opening baskets
The large opening basket is a formal and refined choice. It is bigger than an ordinary flower basket and suits a congratulation that needs some scale and ceremony. The designs range from classic to modern and combine flowers associated with luck and wealth. This is the gift companies and business partners usually send to an important opening, as a sign of respect and of the wish for a lasting partnership in which both sides grow together.
Sóng Xanh (“Blue Wave”) easel arrangement for an opening (GT48)
Flower baskets
A flower basket is what individuals usually bring to an opening, especially when the relationship is close or when there is little room for display. It is easy to carry and costs less than a stand or a large basket, yet it conveys the congratulation and the sincerity of the giver just as fully. A basket is well suited to a new home or a small shop, where it feels warm, familiar and personal. The designs tend to be neat and balanced, and they can be placed almost anywhere.
Phát Tài (“Growing Wealth”) desk flower basket (HG41)
Vase arrangements
A vase arranged with care and artistry can stand out among a great many flower stands. It looks elegant and is usually the right size for the lobby, the reception table or another prominent spot, where it gives the space a graceful focal point.
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Ngày Rực Rỡ (“Radiant Day”) vase arrangement (HCB20)
Bouquets
A bouquet shows thought, tact and personal attention, especially towards someone close to you. It is light and compact and the cost is modest. Handing over a fresh bouquet in person brings real pleasure to the person receiving it and makes a moment to remember.
Flower boxes
A box of fresh flowers is a distinctive gift that makes an impression. It can sit on a desk or the reception counter, where it smartens the room and catches the eye. The box also protects the flowers better on the journey.
Lightly acrylic flower box (HMC06)
Fruit and flower baskets
Fresh flowers combined with a basket of fruit make a gift that is smart, meaningful and useful. A fruit and flower basket suits small and medium-sized openings well. It is reasonably priced, comes in many designs, looks attractive and is good to eat as well.
Cát Tường (“Good Fortune”) fruit basket for an opening (GTC26)
Other things to consider
Beyond the flower, the colour and the format, a few more points help to make your opening gift complete.
Fresh, good-quality flowers
The most important thing is that the flowers are fresh, with nothing wilted or bruised. Fresh flowers are felt to bring luck and vitality, while tired ones send the wrong signal. They also need to stay fresh long enough to look their best for the whole of the opening ceremony.
The congratulation message
A thoughtful message, written with care on the card that goes with the flowers, makes the gift complete and more memorable. Choose words that suit your relationship with the owner, keep the language formal and polite, and keep it short and to the point.
A selection of opening flower arrangements at Flosa
Ordering opening flowers from Flosa
It is worth buying opening flowers from a florist you can rely on, so that the quality and the service match the occasion. If you are looking for somewhere to order a handsome, meaningful arrangement to congratulate a business partner, a friend or a relative, Flosa is a florist based in Ho Chi Minh City that you can trust with it.
Flosa offers a wide range of opening designs in different shapes and styles, at prices to suit different budgets. We use fresh flowers every day, and our experienced florists are glad to listen, advise and help you choose the arrangement that best fits what you have in mind.
An opening arrangement usually carries a congratulation banner printed with your message; tell us the wording when you order, so your wishes reach the recipient in full. Flosa also delivers to the door: within about 2 hours in the inner districts of major cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, and to addresses across Vietnam. You can order from abroad and pay by international card; delivery times are in Vietnam time (GMT+7), and Flosa sends you a photo of the flowers.
Call Flosa for advice on a suitable opening gift for a partner or a friend. Tell us the wording you would like on the congratulation banner.
See more: grand-opening flowers
This article has introduced opening flowers and what they mean in Vietnam. We hope it helps you understand the flowers a little better. If you still have questions, contact Flosa and we will be glad to advise.
