The season of sweet fruits on the old pine hill

- In the freezing weather, while fog still blankets the hillsides, the garden of Ly Van Lung (born in 1997) in Ban Hec village, Cao Loc commune, stands out with the yellow and red hues of ripe fruit. For Lung, it is the result of a courageous and arduous journey.

Mr. Ly Van Lung harvests Cao Phong oranges.

After navigating the winding, steep roads to reach Ban Hec village in Cao Loc commune, we were greeted by an entire hillside bathed in the golden hue of ripe fruit.

While quickly cutting ripe, juicy oranges for his customers, Mr. Lùng confided: "This garden used to be planted with pine trees and mixed forest trees by my family. Realizing that relying solely on the small pine forest and a few acres of rice paddies would keep us poor, in 2018 I visited and learned about fruit tree cultivation in the former Hòa Bình province (now Phú Thọ province). Upon returning, I dreamed of planting an orange and tangerine orchard right on my family's hillside land."

Without hesitation, he decided to invest in improving the land and planting 300 Wenzhou mandarin oranges, Cao Phong oranges, and Canh oranges. “Back then, in the area, households were competing to plant plums. I defied my mother, borrowed money, and invested in buying oranges and mandarins to plant. Everyone thought I was foolish,” Mr. Lùng said with a gentle smile.

To earn money to buy fertilizer for his fruit orchard, he had to work to earn money while also dedicating time to caring for the trees. After work, Mr. Lùng would busily carry buckets of water from the ditch up the hillside, meticulously watering each tree.

Initially, due to a lack of experience in caring for the trees, the orchard was stunted. Mr. Lùng proactively researched cultivation techniques through books, newspapers, and the internet, then applied them to his family's fruit orchard.

The trees did not disappoint; after three years of hard work, the orange and tangerine orchard began to bear fruit. In its fourth year, the orchard started to yield more stable productivity. Recognizing the economic benefits of growing oranges and tangerines, Mr. Lùng continued to cultivate and expand his orchard, and now his family owns over 400 orange and tangerine trees of various types. In addition, his family also has an old tangerine orchard with about 100 trees. Since the beginning of the harvest season, his family has harvested approximately 7 tons of oranges and tangerines. From now until the Lunar New Year of the Horse, demand will increase, and the family will continue harvesting to serve customers. They expect to harvest about 10 tons of fruit by the end of the season. With selling prices ranging from 20,000 to 45,000 VND/kg depending on the time and type of fruit, Mr. Lùng's family will earn over 300 million VND.

With an innovative mindset and entrepreneurial spirit, in November 2025, Mr. Lùng opened his orchard to visitors for tours and experiences, charging 20,000 VND per person. Since opening, his family's orchard has welcomed over 1,000 visitors who came to tour and take photos. Besides generating revenue from ticket sales, developing experiential tourism has also helped his family sell their produce.

Ms. Hoang Thanh Tra from Ky Lua ward said: "Through social media, I learned about Mr. Lung's tangerine orchard. Taking advantage of the warm, sunny weather on the weekend, I took my children to the orchard to experience picking oranges and tangerines. The orchard has many kinds of fruit, with branches laden with ripe yellow and oranges, very beautiful to look at. Besides sightseeing and taking pictures, my family also got to directly experience picking and buying fruit right from the orchard. Thanks to that, I was reassured about the quality and had a fun experience."

Mr. Hua Anh Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Loc commune, said: "Despite his young age, Mr. Ly Van Lung from Ban Hec village has shown great passion for research, innovative thinking, and bold investment in developing a model of growing oranges and tangerines that yields high economic efficiency. Currently, Mr. Lung's fruit orchard is an attractive destination, drawing many visitors to come and experience picking fruit. This model not only brings economic benefits to his family but also contributes to promoting local agricultural products and creating an experiential space. In the future, the commune government will continue to promote and introduce the model so that more people know about it, thereby replicating the model throughout the commune."

Reportedly, in 2024, Mr. Lùng continued to invest in planting more than 200 Canh orange trees. In the future, he plans to invest in improving the orchard, building more check-in areas, etc., aiming to develop a sustainable agricultural tourism model.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/mua-qua-ngot-บน-doi-thong-cu-5076086.html