Farmers around HCM City are increasingly using social media platforms to reach a wider audience. — Screenshot from Facebook

HCM CITY — Farmers are using online platforms to sell ornamental plants for the upcoming Tết (traditional New Year) holiday, thus expanding their markets to around the country. 

Anna Picasso shop has been packaging and shipping seedlings to customers all over the country since the start of this year.

Nguyễn Thị Thúy An, its owner, said she leverages digital platforms to reach more consumers, creating channels to introduce products and share tips on how to care for their plants.

Her persistence on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok has helped build a loyal clientele base over the last five to seven years and establish her brand.

Nguyễn Văn Phước Em, owner of Thiên Ân apricot farm in the southern province of Vĩnh Long, said that prolonged weak demand in the traditional flower market left many farmers struggling, which is why his business chose a new path of livestreaming on TikTok and using a virtual marketplace. 

He secured orders from consumers in many provinces and shared techniques to prevent and treat pests affecting apricot trees.

Direct interaction has brought farmers and consumers together, reduced middlemen, lowered prices, and strengthened trust in product quality, he said.

Đỗ Minh Trọng, owner of Mai Vàng 9999 farms in Phú Mỹ Ward, HCM City, also faced a difficult period as consumer preferences shifted.

Despite years of experience, his slow adoption of social media left him struggling at times, while many like him were even forced out of business.

But he persisted in taking his produce online. He sought to steadily expand his customer base instead of relying on seasonal Tết customers.

He, and other similar farms around Việt Nam, are now reaping the rewards for their efforts to adapt to modern trends. — VNS