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10 plants worth knowing

Vietnam

Vietnam stretches in a narrow strip for more than 1,600 km – from the mountainous, subtropical north with its distinctly cool winter, through the Annamite Range and the Central Highlands, to the hot, flat Mekong Delta. This range brings enormous diversity: from mountain forests with endemic conifers, through monsoon forests and mangroves, to vast rice fields and coffee plantations. Flowers play a special role in the celebrations of Tết, the New Year, which differ between north and south.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Sacred lotus 1

    aquatic plant · Unofficial national flower of Vietnam

    Sacred lotus

    Nelumbo nucifera

    A flower that rises from the mud pure and unsullied – the Vietnamese see in it a symbol of their own resilience and purity of spirit.
  2. Robusta coffee 2

    crop

    Robusta coffee

    Coffea canephora

    Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer and the largest producer of robusta – hence its strong coffee with condensed milk.
  3. Yellow mai 3

    tree · Tết New Year flower of southern Vietnam

    Yellow mai

    Ochna integerrima

    For people in southern Vietnam, golden mai blossom is what the Christmas tree is to Europeans – the herald of the Tết New Year.
  4. Peach 4

    tree · Tết New Year flower of northern Vietnam

    Peach

    Prunus persica

    Pink sprays of peach blossom adorn every home in Hanoi before Tết – in the north it is the most important flower of the year.
  5. Star anise 5

    tree

    Star anise

    Illicium verum

    Star-shaped star anise fruits give phở its aroma – and northern Vietnam is, alongside China, the main producer of this spice.
  6. Rice 6

    crop

    Rice

    Oryza sativa

    Vietnam is one of the world’s largest rice exporters – and rice is made into everything here, from phở noodles to rice paper.
  7. Royal poinciana 7

    tree

    Royal poinciana

    Delonix regia

    Fiery red phượng blossoms open in May as the school year ends – for the Vietnamese it is the “students’ flower” and a symbol of farewells.
  8. Areca palm 8

    palm

    Areca palm

    Areca catechu

    There is no Vietnamese engagement without betel leaves and areca nuts – “a quid of betel opens the conversation”, as the proverb says.
  9. Tea plant 9

    crop

    Tea plant

    Camellia sinensis

    Green tea is Vietnam’s everyday drink, and the plantations on the hills of Thái Nguyên and Lâm Đồng are among its most picturesque landscapes.
  10. Black pepper 10

    climber

    Black pepper

    Piper nigrum

    Vietnam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of black pepper – pepper from the Central Highlands and Phú Quốc island is especially famous.