Recently, 'air plants,' which typically grow without soil and thrive merely on air and with minimal care, have been selling like hot cakes across Mekong Delta provinces in southern Vietnam.

'Air plants' is an informal name Vietnamese people use to address plants belonging to the plant genus “Tillandsia,” which consists of around 639 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants in the Bromeliaceae family.

The family is native to Central and South America, the southern United States, and the West Indies.

The plants normally do not need soil to grow in. They mostly obtain moisture and nutrients from the air through structures on their leaves called trichomes.

Along the streets into Dong Thap Province’s famous Tan Quy Dong flower village, pots of 'air plants' are displayed at the most conspicuous places.

At the Ut Buu plant shop, only seven pots of 'air plants' were in stock, but three clients all wanted to buy them. Some even suggested placing bulk orders, but the shop owner declined as she did not even have enough to fulfill such orders.

Meanwhile, the Ut To plant shop nearby boasts more than ten species of the plant, which are displayed nicely in glass jars. Each species has merely a few individuals.

According to Le Van To, the shop owner, the plants fetch from VND50,000 to 700,000 (US$33) apiece.

The varieties at his shop include 'thien phuc,' 'sao mai,' 'hong thanh,' 'toc tien,' and 'thien than,' which all yield vividly colored flowers, with their leaves also changing to a different color while flowering.

Ornamental plant aficionados in Ben Tre Province’s Cho Lach District are also increasingly drawn to 'air plants.'

Nguyen Thi Nguyet Thu, owner of the Hoang Duy plant shop, said that she has sold some hundreds of 'air plants' put in hanging pots within a few months.

She shared that the plants require minimal care and need to be watered only once a week, as they obtain moisture from the air.

One can also add a small amount of leaf manure into the water before watering the plants to boost their growth.

Most 'air plants' currently available in Mekong Delta provinces are imported from Thailand in limited numbers.

Some local plant growers have recently bred the species for long-term supplies.

Nguyen Phuoc Loc, chair of the Sa Dec City Association of Ornamental Plants and Creatures in Dong Thap, acknowledged the plants’ appeal and novelty, but is not sure about their development opportunities in the long run.

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