Coffee thieves are rampant, leaving farmers heartbroken as their crops are cut and destroyed.

On the morning of October 26th, Mr. Bon Niêng Ha Krá (residing in Liêng Srônh village, Đam Rông 2 commune, Lâm Đồng province) visited his coffee plantation and discovered that dozens of coffee trees had been pruned by thieves and gathered in one location in preparation for harvesting the fruit.

Dozens of coffee trees belonging to Mr. Bon Niêng Ha Krá's family have had their branches cut by vandals.

According to Mr. Bon Niêng Ha Krá, his family's coffee garden had large, evenly sized berries, with about 50% of them already ripe. The family planned to harvest them in November. However, before they could harvest, the coffee was stolen.

“The group of coffee thieves consists of about 3-4 people. They don't pick coffee from individual trees but break off branches, then gather in one place to strip the fruit. When they spot the plantation owner, they abandon the coffee and run away,” Mr. Bon Niêng Ha Krá recounted.

Images of Bon Niêng Ha Krá's family coffee shop have received much interaction from social media users (Screenshot).

Distressed by the destruction of their coffee plantation, Mr. Bon Niêng Ha Krá's family posted images on social media. The post received thousands of interactions, with most expressing outrage at the act of vandalism and theft.

"Stealing the fruit has already caused damage to people. Cutting the branches like this is really dangerous. It took years of care to grow this way, and now they've cut off all the branches. What will people have left to harvest later?" one social media user commented.

Below the article, many people also urged local authorities to take decisive measures to stop the act of vandalism against coffee plantations.

Two coffee plantations belonging to Mr. Nguyen Thuan Phat's family were also vandalized.

Last weekend, Nguyen Thuan Phat's coffee plantation in Kien Duc commune (Lam Dong province) was also robbed. Dozens of coffee trees had all their fruit stripped, both ripe and unripe. Many trees had their branches mercilessly cut off.

Mr. Phat said that because the harvest hadn't started yet, he only visited his plantation once or twice a week. On the morning of October 27th, when he went to check on his garden, he discovered that his coffee plants had been robbed.

“My coffee plantation in Quang Tin commune is nearly 6 years old, growing well and bearing abundant fruit. Upon inspection, thieves selected the healthy trees with many fruits to cut branches, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly 400 kg of coffee.”

Mr. Phat added angrily, "Another coffee plantation belonging to my family in Kien Duc commune was also vandalized. The trees whose branches were cut will take 2-3 years to recover."

Reports indicate that coffee prices at the beginning of the 2025 harvest season are higher than the same period last year. Coffee theft has occurred in many localities, especially as the harvest season approaches.

In recent days, social media has been flooded with posts warning about the tactics of "coffee thieves." Many farmers have expressed their unease, as the thieves not only steal coffee but also vandalize and cut branches, affecting the growth of the plants.

In addition to reporting to local authorities, the orchard owners also shared identifying characteristics of the suspect and suspicious license plates to assist the police in the search.

Some groups have even formed their own "coffee patrol teams," taking turns guarding and protecting the produce during harvest time.

Farmers are heartbroken as their coffee crops are destroyed before harvest.

Recently, the Lam Dong Provincial Police Department requested local police forces to strengthen efforts in combating crime and violations of the law related to the 2025-2026 agricultural season.

The Lam Dong Provincial Police Directorate has assigned specific tasks to units and localities to proactively deploy forces and resources in a coordinated effort to combat and suppress all types of crimes related to the harvest season.

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