Vietnam’s lychee hub is busy in harvesting season

Farmers in Thanh Ha District of Vietnam's Northern Province of Hai Duong spend their nights harvesting lychee, a tropical fruit typically picked from mid-May to late July. 

These days, locals are in a hurry to harvest lychees, normally starting at the midnight for delivery the next morning to keep the fruits fresh and of the best quality.

Lychee grown in Thanh Ha, about 90 kilometers east of Hanoi, is said to be home to the best lychee in the country, together with those planted in Luc Ngan District of the Northern Province of Bac Giang.

A working day of these farmers usually starts at midnight.

Nguyen Van Chinh, a farmer from Thanh Xa Commune, Thanh Ha District, said that harvesting lychees at night can help him avoid the day’s scorching heat while keeping the fruit fresh.

“Our family’s lychee garden of 1.2 acres gives about four tons of fruit per crop,” he said.

Ripe lychees are always kept in good condition before being harvested and sold.

The bountiful lychee season brings joy to the farmers.

In 2022, Thanh Ha has over 3,300 hectares of lychee orchards, and harvests an average of 40,000 tons a year.

Most of them are grown under Global Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalGAP), which is pest-free, giving higher yields and more delicious fruits.

Farmer Mac Thi Hoi from Thanh Xa Commune, Thanh Ha District said that the quality of Thanh Ha lychees this season is better that the last one, making the local fruits of high demand.

The wholesale lychee market usually gathers at 5:00 am. The delicious fruit is then delivered to consumers across the country.

Farmers on their motorbikes carrying baskets of sweet fruits.

However, prices of fresh lychees remain low, at around VND10,000 ($0.4) per kilogram.

“Lychee’s prices often depend on the supply. Prices are usually lower when output is higher,” shared Pham Van Kien, Secretary of Thanh Xa Youth Union Commune. He suggested that the government has taken measures to support farmers by purchasing the fruits, stamping the traceability and exporting them.

The best lychees are usually for export. Each season, Vietnam exports around 100,000 tons of fresh lychees worth more than $300 million to China, Japan, Australia, the EU, the US, among others.

Lychees also put Thanh Ha in the tourism and export map.

Many tourism products related to lychee fruit have also been developed locally, namely eco-tours to visit lychee gardens by boat, lychee harvesting tour, among others.

Thanh Ha lychees are usually small and uneven in size but flavorsome and delicious.