The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking.

Olafhenny · 03-13-2011, 10:52 PM

The pictures below show the lavishness of the displays in the urban flower shops. You have to look
closely to pick out the individual artful arrangements, which get lost in the wealth of these displays:

The next shot shows a section of one of those ubiquitous roadside marketing offers, this one for
bonsai type plants.

The next two photos show a couple of individual displays in hotels, where we stayed:

All my life long I have criticized the pressing of flowers into structural displays,
but here it is done 'in tune' with nature, rather than subduing it.

And the last two give you a glimpse of the macro landscaping efforts in such hotels and restaurants:

When I see all this, I cannot help but feel very ignorant and incompetent as a "gardener".

Stay tuned, more to come
Olaf

Yug · 03-15-2011, 01:59 AM

Those don't look any different than the ones we have in Hawaii.

The Hollyberry Lady · 03-15-2011, 02:14 AM

They're just gorgeous!!!

: )

Olafhenny · 03-15-2011, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

Those don't look any different than the ones we have in Hawaii.

You are lucky then.

Yug · 03-16-2011, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

You are lucky then.

Yeah, they tell me that, but luck is more expensive, too; gas, food, housing, etc. The bucks just don't go anywhere near as far as the rest of the U.S. Now, I hear on the radio that we are paying more for gasoline than the rest of the U.S. (*sigh*) I guess being lucky isn't everything...

Olafhenny · 03-16-2011, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yug

Yeah, they tell me that, but luck is more expensive, too; gas, food, housing, etc. The bucks just don't go anywhere near as far as the rest of the U.S. Now, I hear on the radio that we are paying more for gasoline than the rest of the U.S. (*sigh*) I guess being lucky isn't everything...

I would cry for you, if you were really as tough off, as you seem to think you are. Rise in gasoline and food prices is global, and as such even affects paradise. Gasoline here is $1.27/litre or at your measures $4.78/gal (CAD) or in US Dollars $4.87. And if you think that that is bad, ask somebody from Europe!
Best,
Olaf

gander54 · 03-16-2011, 11:23 PM

very Nice pics I wish I could have been there to see them too. They are lots better than what we have right now in Oklahoma.

Chance1945 · 01-06-2012, 07:48 PM

I feel overwhelmed from your photographs. Can't imagine what I would feel up close and personal. Thanks especially for the photos of the desert rose. I'm growing several hundred of them now so I really appreciate that one photo. Also, I'm into Thai caladiums. Notice when you go back to Vietnam if you see any different caladiums.

How I would love to visit there!

Olafhenny · 01-06-2012, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chance1945

I feel overwhelmed from your photographs. Can't imagine what I would feel up close and personal. Thanks
especially for the photos of the desert rose. I'm growing several hundred of them now so I really appreciate that one photo. Also, I'm into
Thai caladiums. Notice when you go back to Vietnam if you see any different caladiums.

How I would love to visit there!

Thank you, Terry, I did not know what it was. I just walked by some street-side plant shop and snapped
the picture. There was of course nobody to explain the plants to me.

Now I know from you that it was a Adenium Obesum.
Here are a couple more:

This one is not quite so obese, but I believe it is still young

Here is another one, I believe, although it has no flowers

In the court yard of a Buddhist temple on Tet Eve; - you may want to pick it out yourselves

During Tet these little orange trees are everywhere, here in the entrance to a fabric store;
symbolizing fruitfulness (fertility)?, a new beginning?

In Hoi Anh Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is celebrated with lots of light floating on the river. The big white
thing is a cat, ringing in the Year of the Cat.

Individuals float little lanterns down the river (difficult to catch clearly, because they are moving
and exposure times are long in the dark)

Artistic displays are plentiful, like this large (~1m dia) lantern

This is a look inside it

Chance1945 · 01-07-2012, 01:41 AM

The first photo reminds me of a windswept pine on the beach in Monterey, Calif. I believe the second phot is of a tree.

Notice the pots. It's all a work of art. A work of love.

Our culture seems to staid, so stoic, so plain vanilla when compared to some others.

Thanks for the show. Hope there's more to come.

palmtree · 01-07-2012, 06:29 PM

Wow, those are all great pics! The attention to detail is very impressive. Thanks for sharing!

Olafhenny · 01-07-2012, 10:32 PM

I cannot help comparing Vietnam to Mexico, which is much more wealthy.

After my first visit there I coined the phrase: "In Mexico everything is a little bit broke". The overall view
appears to be, that "if it holds together and looks nice, it is okay". My opinion on that has not really
changed during the next dozen or so visits there, though I have to qualify, that my experience is
entirely limited to the Mexican west coast. It may be different elsewhere int the country.

Vietnam, a much poorer country (money-wise) had a horrific start after finally getting rid of centuries
of foreign domination (in sequence: French,- Japanese,- British,- French,- American) it was finally left
with a country the central 1/3rd was completely defoliated, the 2000 km north - south stretch seemingly
dissected every 10 km or so by a west to east river, with practically all bridges bombed to smithereens.
The country had a huge problem. That is only compounded by the understandably xenophobic laws
enacted by the new government and the fact, that it is also quite totalitarien. Both are a deterrent to
badly needed foreign investment.

But the huge advantage this country has is a deep appreciation for quality. No matter how poor the
people are, everything they build is made to last and most of it will not have to be replaced within a
lifetime. In the long run that will give them "a foot up".

I believe, that a big part of the appreciation these photos receive is based on that solidity and
excellence in workmanship they reflect

Olafhenny · 01-16-2012, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

During Tet these little orange trees are everywhere, here in the entrance to a fabric store;
symbolizing fruitfulness (fertility)?, a new beginning?

I have now learned, that these "little orange trees" are actually kumquat trees.

I still have not figured out, what they signify. Most people in the tourist related businesses speak a
few words of English, enough do do their job, but t i9s hard to find somebody, who is fluent
enough to explain something sophisticated. But there is still more than a month to go until Tet. I am
sure, Ill be able to find out by then.

03-13-2011, 10:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 233,625 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. The pictures below show the lavishness of the displays in the urban flower shops. You have to look closely to pick out the individual artful arrangements, which get lost in the wealth of these displays: The next shot shows a section of one of those ubiquitous roadside marketing offers, this one for bonsai type plants. The next two photos show a couple of individual displays in hotels, where we stayed: All my life long I have criticized the pressing of flowers into structural displays, but here it is done 'in tune' with nature, rather than subduing it. And the last two give you a glimpse of the macro landscaping efforts in such hotels and restaurants: When I see all this, I cannot help but feel very ignorant and incompetent as a "gardener". Stay tuned, more to come Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

03-15-2011, 01:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
Yug Yug's Photo Gallery Location: Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 10-11 Name: Knobby D. Holme Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,465 BananaBucks : 53,625 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 4,009 Times Was Thanked 1,741 Times in 812 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 470 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. Those don't look any different than the ones we have in Hawaii.

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gander54 Find me on the map! Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 47 BananaBucks : 23,012 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 75 Times in 29 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. very Nice pics I wish I could have been there to see them too. They are lots better than what we have right now in Oklahoma.

01-06-2012, 07:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
Chance1945 Location: Bayou La Batre, Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Terry Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 227 BananaBucks : 77,886 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 140 Times Was Thanked 220 Times in 129 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 58 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. I feel overwhelmed from your photographs. Can't imagine what I would feel up close and personal. Thanks especially for the photos of the desert rose. I'm growing several hundred of them now so I really appreciate that one photo. Also, I'm into Thai caladiums. Notice when you go back to Vietnam if you see any different caladiums. How I would love to visit there!

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01-07-2012, 01:41 AM	#10 (permalink)
Chance1945 Location: Bayou La Batre, Alabama Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Terry Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 227 BananaBucks : 77,886 Feedback: 7 / 100% Said "Thanks" 140 Times Was Thanked 220 Times in 129 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 58 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. The first photo reminds me of a windswept pine on the beach in Monterey, Calif. I believe the second phot is of a tree. Notice the pots. It's all a work of art. A work of love. Our culture seems to staid, so stoic, so plain vanilla when compared to some others. Thanks for the show. Hope there's more to come.

01-07-2012, 06:29 PM	#11 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree 's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 96,167 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. Wow, those are all great pics! The attention to detail is very impressive. Thanks for sharing! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

01-07-2012, 10:32 PM	#12 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 233,625 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: The Opulence of Flowers in Vietnam is breathtaking. I cannot help comparing Vietnam to Mexico, which is much more wealthy. After my first visit there I coined the phrase: "In Mexico everything is a little bit broke". The overall view appears to be, that "if it holds together and looks nice, it is okay". My opinion on that has not really changed during the next dozen or so visits there, though I have to qualify, that my experience is entirely limited to the Mexican west coast. It may be different elsewhere int the country. Vietnam, a much poorer country (money-wise) had a horrific start after finally getting rid of centuries of foreign domination (in sequence: French,- Japanese,- British,- French,- American) it was finally left with a country the central 1/3rd was completely defoliated, the 2000 km north - south stretch seemingly dissected every 10 km or so by a west to east river, with practically all bridges bombed to smithereens. The country had a huge problem. That is only compounded by the understandably xenophobic laws enacted by the new government and the fact, that it is also quite totalitarien. Both are a deterrent to badly needed foreign investment. But the huge advantage this country has is a deep appreciation for quality. No matter how poor the people are, everything they build is made to last and most of it will not have to be replaced within a lifetime. In the long run that will give them "a foot up". I believe, that a big part of the appreciation these photos receive is based on that solidity and excellence in workmanship they reflect __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 01-07-2012 at 10:35 PM.

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