Gliricidia sepium, or commonly known as Gliricidia trees, are mostly found in Central America. But Vietnam has its own version, the do mai (pea apricot), or anh dao gia (fake cherry blossom).

The tree is mainly distributed in the Central Highlands where it is grown as live fencing in Kon Tum Province. It can also be found in the forests of Khanh Son mountainous district of Khanh Hoa Province that are 600-800 meters above sea level. It produces white, pinkish, or red-pinkish flowers. It grows abundantly but surprisingly, residents were unaware of its existence until only ten years ago when a man named Nguyen Van Phung brought the tree to the famous resort town of Nha Trang as part of his work designing eco-tourism sites around Vietnam.

Suddenly, do mai turned from unknown to tourist attraction in the town, especially during Tet (Lunar New Year) season when the tree is in full bloom for one whole month. Also known as fake cherry blossom, this is because visitors get the feel of being in Japan and its famous cherry blossoms when staying under a do mai tree especially at the Waterland Thach Lam Stream, a theme park-outdoor sports complex in Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province, composed of 4,000 do mai trees, some as high as 7 meters. The complex opened in June 2011.

Phung, the 51-year old man who discovered the tree, first encountered do mai when he saw it at a house at the foot of the Hon Ba Mountain in Khanh Son District. He was enamored by the beauty of the tree's flowers that he asked the owner if he could buy some of it. He bought two trees and transported them to Nha Trang where he then planted them in a 500-square meter plot he was able to lease at an affordable price in Phuoc Dong Commune. Phung was able to expand his small collection into over a dozen more do mai trees, even naming them, Hoang Hoa Thon or The Village of Yellow Flowers. Phung originally only wanted to grow yellow flowers around houses with ancient Hue architectural styles in the area, but he never thought that his discovery of the do mai trees and planting them in his plot would make his place a tourist spot.

In 2009 though, he sold his flower village to investors of the Tam Island Resort where he reportedly earned VND3.5 billion (US$165,996) from the sale and used the money to open Waterland Thach Lam Stream. His decision to sell his collection upset a lot of people, but he explained that he did so in order to attract more visitors into the area and make them appreciate the ancient culture of the Vietnamese people.

Phung later planted and produced another 100 do mai trees on Hon Tam Island, adding and strengthening another tourist attraction to Nha Trang.