The Year of the Dragon in 2024 is expected to bring a lot of luck. The Dragon is also a year when many people have high expectations for a better career and life. Perhaps that’s why items with a Dragon shape or “Dragon-like” are highly sought after and valuable.
Below are the top 3 super rare plants with a “Dragon-like” shape in Vietnam.
1. Super plant “Nham Thach Bach Nien” worth nearly VND 490 billion
“Nham Thach Bach Nien” is a super plant valued at USD 20 million. Photo: NL
“Nham Thach Bach Nien” is a famous ancient plant in the bonsai world in Vietnam. This ancient tree first appeared at the Festival of Bonsai – Gemstone – Feng Shui in Thanh Hoa in 2019.
The owner of the ancient “Nham Thach Bach Nien” tree is Mr. Cao Tien Doan, a real estate tycoon in Thanh Hoa, who has been valued at USD 20 million (equivalent to nearly VND 490 billion) by a Japanese businessman.
According to Thanh Hoa newspaper, “Nham Thach Bach Nien” is a rare ancient bonsai tree that grows very slowly. The tree is over 5m tall (from the pot), with a width of about 6m, a root system of 4m with 9 strong trunks symbolizing 9 dragons, converging from a single root. In addition, the tree has disc-shaped branch arms with a reasonable proportion, forming 81 disc-shaped branches resembling fan patterns. The trunk and roots of the tree turn completely white and then to a bronze color similar to agate. This is considered evidence of the tree’s age of hundreds of years.
With a total weight of up to 50 tonnes (including the meticulously crafted pot), it is a very difficult and time-consuming task to display the “Nham Thach Bach Nien” masterpiece at an exhibition, requiring skill and meticulousness. The owner of “Nham Thach Bach Nien” shared that the pot of this ancient tree is also very special, with a width of 14m2 and it took him 4 skilled craftsmen 3 months to complete.
2. Ancient bonsai tree “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” worth millions of dollars
Ancient bonsai tree “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” with a unique and rare “Dragon-like” shape. Photo: DV
In the bonsai world, a beautiful tree is highly valued for its unique shape, elaborate and unique craftsmanship… However, the downside is that it can quickly become outdated and easily become “common” after a period of ownership. However, the age of the tree and the accompanying objects will be very difficult to recreate. This is also the characteristic of treasures and antiques, and over time their value tends to become more expensive.
In Vietnam, one of the few works of art with a unique shape and an age of hundreds of years is the ancient bonsai tree “Cuu Long Tranh Chau“.
This ancient bonsai tree belongs to Mr. Bui Van Thai in Hanoi. The tree has a shape depicting nine dragons competing for a gemstone. This precious work first appeared at the Vietnam Flora Exhibition celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long Hanoi. The unique form of the tree amazed many people. According to experts, “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” is a claw foliage bonsai. This is a rare type of bonsai that bonsai enthusiasts highly favor due to its beautiful leaves, year-round prosperity, and beautiful color…
“Cuu Long Tranh Chau” is considered a unique work of art in terms of the age of the tree, history, prestige, and especially the tree is listed as one of the 19 records of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long Hanoi.
The “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” bonsai tree is about 200 years old. Besides its beautiful name, this ancient bonsai makes a strong impression with its root system, which has a circumference of 9.1m, a length of 3.7m, a width of 2m, and a height of 1.9m. The height of the ancient bonsai tree is 3.2m. Therefore, if you consider the pot as well, the total height of the “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” bonsai tree reaches 3.7m.
In 2010, the Asian Record Organization officially recognized it as the “largest potted bonsai tree in Vietnam”.
According to Dan Viet newspaper, regarding “Cuu Long Tranh Chau”, Prof., Dr. Tran Duy Quy, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi Bonsai Association, shared that during his career, although he had traveled to many countries and sought bonsai plants to satisfy his passion, he had never seen such an excellent work anywhere. According to Prof., Dr. Tran Duy Quy, the ancient “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” bonsai tree is a work that possesses many “exceptional” features that other bonsai trees rarely have. Specifically, this tree is one of the oldest ancient bonsai trees, has the largest root circumference, is the rarest claw foliage bonsai in Vietnam, and has historical value.
In fact, many wealthy individuals have expressed their desire to buy the “Cuu Long Tranh Chau” tree for millions of dollars, but the owner still refuses to sell it.
3. “Long Chua” ancient bonsai tree worth as much as 20 land plots on main roads
“Long Chua” bonsai tree was once valued at VND 15 billion. Photo: DV
According to the belief in the bonsai world, placing a Dragon-shaped tree symbolizes luxury and nobility. Therefore, trees with Dragon shapes are often placed in the ancient royal palaces. Nowadays, bonsai trees with special shapes like this can be worth much more than real estate.
The “Long Chua” ancient bonsai tree is a testament to this. According to Dan Viet newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, a well-known tycoon in Hai Duong, is the owner of the “Long Chua” bonsai tree. Mr. Cuong bought this ancient bonsai tree from a person in Nam Dien commune (Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh) 20 years ago. At that time, he had to spend over VND 8 billion to buy the “Long Chua” bonsai tree.
A close look at the massive trunk and root system of the “Long Chua” ancient bonsai tree. Photo: DV
The owner of the “Long Chua” bonsai tree shared that his tree is one of the 3 oldest bonsai trees in Nam Dien commune and also the most beautiful “Dragon-shaped” tree. The tree has intertwined roots, a trunk that has turned silver-white like a fossil, and branches that resemble wandering clouds. In addition, the trunk has one large tree and one smaller tree, which are considered as a mother and child. Over the years, the roots of the small tree have clung to the roots of the large tree, forming a block.
