Nestled in the peaceful countryside of Phuc Hoa Commune, Phuc Tho District (Hanoi), Nguyen Manh Cuong’s 1.4-hectare bonsai garden stands as a quiet yet vibrant "green oasis." Unlike traditional bonsai gardens, his space is a miniature world of familiar fruit trees - star apple, mango, longan, guava, canarium, jackfruit, carambola, pomegranate... all artistically shaped to offer both aesthetic and economic value.
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| Nguyen Manh Cuong and his bonsai garden. |
His journey began in 2012, when he made the bold decision to leave his job to become a full-time gardener. “Back then, I only had 10 to 15 small bonsai pieces, and I did it purely out of passion. But the days when all my trees sold out within a day gave me the motivation to believe I was on the right path,” he recalls.
More than 10 years of dedication later, his garden now boasts over 300 unique bonsai artworks. Among them, the most notable is Đại Hồng Phúc - an ancient sapodilla tree meticulously shaped over four years. It won an award at the 2024 Hanoi Ornamental Creatures Festival and was once offered a staggering 900 million VND by a buyer. Many other trees in his garden are decades old, revived and artistically cultivated through tireless effort.
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| Fruit-bearing bonsai trees are a special highlight in his garden. |
To Mr. Cuong, every tree holds a story, a memory. Some he traveled deep into the Mekong Delta to acquire; others are "treasures" from Northern Vietnamese villages that he has preserved and brought back to life. “Tending trees is like nurturing a life. It requires patience, quiet observation, and a lot of love,” he reflects.
What makes his garden truly special is its collection of fruit tree bonsai - an especially rare and difficult style due to the unique growth characteristics of such trees. But with skillful hands and burning passion, Mr. Cuong has proven that even the most humble trees can be transformed into priceless art.
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| Each bonsai tree is carefully shaped and nurtured. |
Looking to the future, he plans to expand the garden into a nature-themed experiential space for visitors and plant lovers. “I want this garden to be more than just a place for admiration—I hope it becomes a source of inspiration where people can slow down, reconnect with nature, and rediscover what truly matters in life,” he shares.
From an office worker to the creator of a million-dollar bonsai garden, Nguyen Manh Cuong’s journey is a vivid testament to this truth: with enough passion and the courage to take a different path, anyone can turn a piece of land into the blossoming garden of their life.
