Tan Long Commune in Quang Tri Province, a known banana hub, is swarming with the important Tet staple as sellers and buyers flock to the local market. 

Tan Long Commune, with an area of about 3,700 hectares, is known as the land of bananas in Huong Hoa District. 

Many traders prize Tan Long bananas for their appealing look and reasonable prices. They buy at VND6,000-8,000 ($0.3-0.4) per kilogram and resell them to big outlets in different provinces in the country, or for export to China, Thailand and Laos.

These days, locals are buying the bananas for Tet (Lunar New Year festival) offerings. Unripe bananas are also sold as bunches, with prices ranging from VND200,000-1.5 million ($8.6 - $65) each.

Selecting the best tray of five fruits is undoubtedly one of the most important rituals during Tet celebration. The five fruits may be bananas, oranges, apples, mangoes and kumquats. 

A hand of green bananas is typically placed at the bottom. The spreading of the bunch symbolizes the protection of ancestors and supernatural powers. An alternative to bananas would be finger citrons.

Ho Lam (R) sells four bunches of bananas for VND3 million ($130). For Tet, locals are willing to pay much more for beautiful looking fruits as they see it as indicative of their respect to the ancestors and gods while making Tet offerings.

"Tan Long bananas are cultivated naturally without fertilizers or pesticides; they are planted 6 to 7 meters apart from each other so I could have beautiful bananas to sell for Tet. It takes four months for a banana tree to flower and produce fruit," Lam said.

Binh, another banana merchant, and his friend have driven their truck overnight from Da Nang to Tan Long (242 km) to arrive early in the morning. This is the third year he’s been trading in bananas during the Tet season.

"This year, the price of bananas is higher than last year, many large bunches cost up to VND2 million ($86) each. I am only buying smaller bunches, they are easier to sell," Binh said.

After five days, Pham Van Thanh, a resident of Tan Lap Commune in Quang Tri’s Huong Hoa District has earned VND6 million ($258) from selling bananas. "Generally, money earned from the banana crop at the end of the year is enough for my Tet shopping," he said.

Tan Long banana market remains open until the afternoon of the last day of the lunar calendar, or January 24 this year.

The country will enjoy a seven-day holiday for the Tet festival this year, starting January 23.