Farmers in Bac Ninh busy harvesting early-ripening lychees

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Widespread heatwaves in late May, with temperatures reaching 37-39 degrees Celsius and exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, have significantly affected this year’s lychee crop in Phuc Hoa commune, Bac Ninh province, reducing yields and causing fruit scorching in some orchards.

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Tran Van Dinh, a resident of Lan Thinh village in Phuc Hoa commune, Bac Ninh province, wakes up at 3 a.m. to prepare for the lychee harvest. His family owns about 0.5 hectares of hillside lychee trees, and their orchard recently won a consolation prize in the commune’s “Beautiful Lychee Garden” contest. However, this year’s output has fallen sharply compared with last year despite favourable prices and stronger consumption.

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According to Dinh, this year’s lychees have maintained high quality, with sweet fruit and an attractive appearance. With technical support and training from localities, growers have increasingly focused on safe cultivation practices, improving quality and building the Phuc Hoa lychee brand.

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From early morning under scorching heat, residents of Lan Thinh village in Phuc Hoa commune are busy harvesting early-ripening lychees to ensure fruit quality.

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The stems are carefully trimmed and each lychee is sorted to ensure only high-quality fruit is bundled for sale.

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Lychee prices currently range from VND30,000-35,000 per kilogram on the market, while his family’s lychees are still selling for around VND40,000 per kilogram, Dinh says.

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Nguyen Thi Ha, a resident of Quoc Du 2 village in Phuc Hoa commune, Bac Ninh province, says her family owns about 0.5 hectares of lychee trees, but this year’s output is only about half of previous harvests. This year’s crop required intensive care from flowering to fruiting, while growers who failed to invest in proper care saw their harvests nearly wiped out, Ha explains.

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During the harvest season, her family hires additional workers to keep up with export orders for foreign companies. For years, the family has worked with export firms under linked production arrangements, helping their lychees meet high quality standards.

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Seasonal growers are also entering the peak lychee harvest season. According to Truong Minh Thang, from Tan Yen commune in Bac Ninh province, lychee picking often starts at around 3 a.m. and continues until 9 or 10 a.m. under intense heat. Wages currently range from VND70,000-80,000 per hour, but rising living costs continue to put pressure on farmers’ livelihoods.

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Despite the hardship, Thang still feels proud and happy to see lychees from his hometown gaining wider recognition, being exported to more countries and welcomed by overseas consumers.

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Nguyen Bien Thuy, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phuc Hoa commune in Bac Ninh province, says the locality has harvested about 5,800 tonnes of lychees so far this season, with nearly half exported, mainly to China. Exports to markets such as Japan, Canada and the United States have also continued this year.

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According to Thuy, the 2026 lychee season in Phuc Hoa commune has featured a series of activities, including the granting of rights to care for and promote the commune’s heritage lychee tree, a gala celebrating the early harvest season and a “Beautiful Lychee Garden” contest, alongside the initial development of experiential tourism routes under the “Sweet Fruit Land of Phuc Hoa” brand. The activities have attracted hundreds of tour groups and more than 10,000 visitors to local lychee orchards.

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Based on this year’s lychee season, local leaders are pursuing a range of measures to develop the Phuc Hoa early-ripening lychee brand in a more sustainable direction. The measures include improving product quality from the cultivation stage through the application of VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, the use of organic fertilisers and biological plant protection products, and ensuring clear product traceability.

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In addition, strengthening production-to-consumption linkages among growers, cooperatives and businesses is also seen as a key solution to stabilise market outlets, raise product value and minimize risks for lychee growers.

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At collection points in Phuc Hoa commune, motorbikes loaded with lychees, carrying up to 80-100 kilograms each, head to major purchasing hubs for early-ripening lychees.

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After being purchased by traders, the lychees are carefully arranged before transport.

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Although erratic weather has caused heavy crop losses in some areas this season, Phuc Hoa continues to strengthen its reputation as a high-quality early-ripening lychee-growing area while expanding both domestic and export markets to deliver sustainable economic value for growers.