Vegetable prices are rising, bringing joy to vegetable growers.

Thanks to proactively managing irrigation water, the vegetable crop of Mr. Vu Dinh Cu's family in Viet Thanh village, Thanh Hung commune, is always thriving.

Dien Bien District is the largest vegetable-growing area in the province. At this time, the atmosphere in the vegetable gardens of communes such as Thanh Hung, Pom Lot, and Noong Luong is bustling with activity. People are busy planting, tending, and harvesting vegetables in time for traders to come and buy them. The joy is evident on their sweat-drenched faces as the prices of vegetables are much higher than in previous years.

With nearly 2,000 ^square meters of land dedicated to growing various vegetables, Mr. Vu Dinh Cu's family in Viet Thanh village, Thanh Hung commune, has earned a considerable income this year. According to Mr. Cu, despite the prolonged hot weather, his family was able to secure sufficient water, resulting in healthy vegetable crops. Not only has the harvest been bountiful, but since the beginning of the year, especially during the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the vegetables have sold very well, with prices doubling or tripling compared to the same period last year. His family has earned over 100 million VND, the largest income he has ever received from vegetable farming.

While watering his vegetable garden, Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, from Team 11, Thanh Hung commune, said: His family grows over 3,000 square ^{meters of} cabbage, scallions, and various herbs… In previous years, growing vegetables was very uncertain; we were afraid of pests and diseases, the weather, and the possibility of falling prices. It's been a long time since vegetables have fetched such high prices as this year, doubling or tripling compared to the same period last year. Traders come directly to the fields to buy the produce; but to get a higher price, the family has decided to sell it directly at the market.

People in Dien Bien district are delighted as vegetable prices have increased significantly. In the photo: Ms. Pham Thi Hop, from Thanh Hung commune, harvesting vegetables.

Pom Lót is one of the communes with a large area dedicated to vegetable cultivation. Currently, more than 700 households in the commune are involved in vegetable farming, covering an area of 118 hectares, of which 80 hectares are dedicated to vegetable cultivation; many families have large production areas of 2-3 hectares. Unlike last year, vegetable prices have increased significantly this year, making people enthusiastic about tending their crops and investing in successive plantings.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Gai in Pom Lot commune has nearly 1,000 ^{square meters of} land dedicated to growing various vegetables. Since the beginning of the year, the demand for vegetables and fruits has been very high, while prices have increased significantly compared to previous years. Therefore, as soon as they harvest, the family focuses on planting crops in succession, especially some types of vegetables and fruits with short growing periods, to meet market demand. However, they don't prioritize quantity over profit; instead, the family focuses on producing safe vegetables, ensuring quality and safety for consumers.

Besides tending to their existing vegetable plots, people are taking advantage of the opportunity to plant successive crops to ensure a consistent supply for the market.

The winter-spring vegetable crop is also the main vegetable crop of the year in Dien Bien district. According to statistics, the entire district has more than 2,100 hectares of vegetables; of which the basin area has more than 1,700 hectares, mainly concentrated in the communes of Thanh Hung (over 300 hectares), Thanh Luong (nearly 300 hectares), Pom Lot (118 hectares)... Never before have farmers been so happy because vegetable prices are as high as they are now. The price of green vegetables alone has increased by an average of 20% - 50%, and some types have even increased 2-3 times compared to this time last year. For example, Chinese cabbage is 17-20 thousand VND/kg (last year around 8 thousand VND/kg); green onions are 35-40 thousand VND/kg (previously 20 thousand VND/kg), and even during the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, green onions reached 60 thousand VND/kg; tomatoes and winter squash reached 30 thousand VND/kg. Sweet potato leaves cost 10,000 VND per bunch; herbs cost 3,000 VND per bunch…

According to authorities, the main reasons for this year's market developments are harsh weather conditions, which caused many vegetable growing areas outside the province to die or suffer from pests and diseases, leading to a sharp decrease in supply. Within the province, some vegetable gardens in areas along the canals lacked reliable irrigation, resulting in either no crops being grown or crops failing to thrive.

Traders come directly to people's homes to buy vegetables.

In 2024, Dien Bien province hosted the National Tourism Year, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. The surge in tourist numbers led to a significant increase in demand for vegetables, which in turn impacted prices. Many restaurants faced supply shortages and had to source vegetables directly from farmers. According to Ms. Lu Thi Sao, owner of Huong Sao restaurant in Co My village, Thanh Chan commune (Dien Bien district), the restaurant has seen a surge in orders, with vegetables being an essential part of the menu. To meet customer demand, the restaurant proactively purchased vegetables directly from local farmers' gardens. However, even then, advance orders are required, and the purchase price at the farm is much higher than in previous years.

Vegetables are not included in the state's price control list; their prices are determined by market demand. Therefore, to ensure consumers can buy vegetables at stable prices, it is necessary for relevant authorities to control and stabilize the market, preventing small traders from taking advantage of the situation to raise prices. In the long term, it is necessary to strengthen trade connections and promote consumption, creating a sustainable market with stable prices for vegetables, rather than just experiencing price increases at specific times.