Dot flowers are blooming, signaling the coming of Tet, all up and down Khanh Vinh Mountain in the central province of Khanh Hoa.

Dot is a kind of wild grass growing on the mountainous area here and is used by the local to make broom.

Travellers in this area will be treated to the site of these wild flowers on the journey from Khan Vinh Township to the central highlands province of Lam Dong. Locals harvest the flowers in hopes of earning a little extra money for the holiday season.

“There is a good crop of dot flowers this year. We have come to harvest for Tet this year. We can earn between VND5,000 and VND7,000 (USD0.25-USD0.35) per kilogramme of fresh dot. For the dry flowers we get anywhere from VND20,000 to VND22,000 (USD1-USD1.1) per kilogramme. My wife and I hope to pick between VND50 and 60 kilogrammes this year to earn some money for the Tet holiday.”

Harvesting dot is not easy work. Locals climbs up the dangerous mountain sides to pick the wild flowers.

Some images of the dot harvest:

Flowers ready for transport

Ready to be loaded

The plant grows on steep mountainsides

The flowers are picked by hand

Local shows a bit of her harvest

Mother and child among the wild flowers

Mother and child among the wild flowers

Hung hopes this dot harvest will mean a new motorbike

The plant is fastened into bunches

A couple bundles their small harvest

A load of dot being taken to the market

Dot flowers shown here in full bloom