Payday boom

Ornamental fish breeding has expanded recently in Hanoi because of rising incomes. Increased incomes and a liberalised foreign trade is also taking a heavy toll of orchids and rhododendrons. Ethnic minorities collect rhododendron plants in large quantities in the high mountains and bring them regularly for sale in the cities, as flowers are prized in the country. The price of a rhododendron plant in 1995 had reached US $98. As rhododendron is found only in two areas in Vietnam, experts believe that the species could get completely wiped out in a few years if the current rate of exploitation continues.