Early season young crocodiles are expensive but still attract customers

According to the Industry and Trade Newspaper, early-season sấu fruit (a type of sour fruit) is fetching quite high prices at Dong Xa market and other markets around Cau Giay district in Hanoi , around 120,000-140,000 VND/kg, comparable to imported fruits or pork. According to vendors, these are young sấu fruits harvested from rural areas on the outskirts of Hanoi.

On the online market, young crocodiles are sold for 100,000-150,000 VND/kg and are still bought by many customers who are willing to spend money to enjoy. Not only selling by weight, many people also sell crocodiles soaked in fish sauce for nearly 200,000 VND/jar.

Although early season star fruit is expensive, many people buy it because the young star fruit meat is soft and the seeds can be eaten, many people buy it to prepare dishes such as star fruit soaked in fish sauce, star fruit jam, star fruit cooked in sour soup... Meanwhile, in the main season, around June-July, star fruit costs from 30,000-40,000 VND/kg.

Dragon fruit prices have risen sharply.

For over a month now, dragon fruit prices in many growing regions of Tien Giang , Long An, and Binh Thuan provinces have remained high.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, Mr. Le Duong, a dragon fruit trader in Binh Thuan , stated that on May 10th, the purchase price for white-fleshed dragon fruit ranged from 20,000-23,000 VND/kg for grade 1 (depending on the warehouse) and 15,000-18,000 VND/kg for grade 2. For red-fleshed dragon fruit, the purchase price was 37,000-40,000 VND/kg for grade 1.

According to Mr. Duong, this price is much higher than in March and 20% higher than at the beginning of the year.

The main reason for the increase in dragon fruit prices is that domestic supply is limited while China's import demand is high.

Gold shops stop selling, people buy and sell gold right on the street

At noon on May 11, after the gold shop stopped selling, people were seen buying and selling gold on the roadside as busily as buying vegetables at the market, regardless of the risk of quality.

Accordingly, these "brokers" approach customers right in front of gold shops to offer gold bars and gold rings for sale. The buying and selling prices are agreed upon by both parties. Afterwards, the buyer transfers the required payment to the "broker" and receives the gold without any receipt or paperwork.

Regarding the practice of buying and selling gold "over the counter" right on the street, economic expert Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh said: "This carries extremely high risks." Dr. Thinh advised that people need to be more cautious with this type of transaction. Because the technology for making counterfeit gold is now very sophisticated, buying or selling without careful inspection easily leads to risks. (See details)

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People are still lining up to buy gold. Photo: Tien Anh

Sugarcane juice and fresh coconut water prices increase sharply

The increasing demand for coconut water and sugarcane juice has pushed up the price of input materials.

According to Mr. Cao Bá Đăng Khoa, Acting General Secretary of the Vietnam Coconut Association, as reported in Pháp Luật TP.HCM newspaper, compared to the first quarter of 2024, the price of drinking coconuts has increased by more than 30%, reaching approximately 8,000-10,000 VND per fruit. The price of raw coconuts (dried coconuts) has also increased by about 40%, reaching 60,000-65,000 VND per dozen for traders and 75,000-85,000 VND per dozen for factories.

Along with coconut, sugarcane prices have also increased. At a sugarcane warehouse on Nguyen Van Cong Street (Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City), for more than 2 weeks now, a notice has been posted announcing an increase in sugarcane juice prices from 15,000 VND/liter to 18,000 VND/liter due to high raw material prices. At the same time, the selling price of sugarcane juice per cup has increased from 9,000 VND to 10,000 VND per cup.

Pork prices increase sharply, 'big guys' massively increase herds

A report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shows that the average price of live pigs in the Northern region in April 2024 increased by 2,500-5,000 VND/kg compared to March, fluctuating between 56,000-61,000 VND/kg in Nam Dinh and Hung Yen.

Currently, the price of live pigs in localities fluctuates from 61,000-65,000 VND/kg.

Major livestock companies are also ramping up herd sizes, aiming for significantly higher profits, even tripling them, due to the high price of pork. (See details)

Coffee prices continue to plummet, 'evaporating' nearly 40,000 VND/kg

The downward trend of coffee prices on international exchanges and in Vietnam has not stopped. On May 8, in the domestic market, the price of green coffee beans also continued to fall sharply, down to 95,000-96,000 VND/kg.
Since the beginning of May, coffee prices have fallen from a peak of 134,400 VND to 95,700 VND/kg, meaning they have "evaporated" nearly 39,000 VND, equivalent to a decrease of 28.5%.

According to experts, the recent drop in coffee prices is due to adjustments in the global market. Additionally, in the Central Highlands, the coffee capital, a "golden rain" has appeared, easing concerns about crop failure. (See details)

Officially exported bird's nest to France

Following the success of exporting bird's nests to the Chinese market at the end of 2023, according to VTV, a company in Nha Trang has just had its first shipment arrive in the French market at the end of April 2024. This is the first shipment of Vietnamese bird's nests to be officially exported to the French market.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 42 out of 63 provinces nationwide currently raise swiftlets, with over 22,000 swiftlet houses. Vietnam's swiftlet nest production is approximately 150 tons. Since the beginning of the year, businesses have been boosting export orders and strengthening linkages and investments with local people to develop swiftlet populations.