From a wild lychee tree over a hundred years old
In the early days of the season, the Ha Dong area prepares for the early lychee harvest (U Hong lychee). At this time, many trucks line up to come and go, and traders are bustling about, but few know that behind today's orchards laden with fruit lies a story that began with a wild lychee tree more than a century ago and the careful nurturing, preservation, and continuous adaptation to the land and weather of this special lychee variety in the region.
According to the villagers of Phuc Gioi hamlet, the first red lychee tree was discovered by Mr. Le Dinh Thuy when it was still a wild plant. Noticing the unusual characteristics of this lychee variety, he brought it back and planted it in his garden. Unexpectedly, after many years of care, the tree thrived, growing into a wide-canopied tree that produced abundant fruit with a rich, sweet taste and, notably, no bitterness.
The story of that "founding" lychee tree has been passed down through generations as a source of pride for the local people. As the tree grew, caring for and harvesting became difficult, so Mrs. Thuy's family propagated it by grafting branches to create new generations of saplings. It was from these branches that the U Hong lychee variety gradually spread throughout Ha Dong as it is today.
In Phuc Gioi village, Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh's family still preserves two lychee trees belonging to the second generation of ancient early-ripening lychee trees. Standing in the garden, the two ancient lychee trees remain lush and green, bearing abundant fruit each season, serving as living witnesses to the journey of development.
Mr. Chinh shared that the two lychee trees were already in his garden when he was born. Now, they are over 100 years old. What makes him most proud is that the quality of the fruit has retained its distinctive flavor: fragrant, juicy, intensely sweet, and not at all astringent.
“In the past, just two lychee trees could cover an entire acre of garden. Each harvest season was very hard work. Some people came to ask to buy the whole trees for timber, but I didn't sell them. They are heirlooms left by our ancestors, and also the origin of today's lychee variety,” Mr. Chinh said.
From those two ancient lychee trees, his family propagated them and expanded the planting area to more than one acre. Each year, the income from early-ripening lychees brings in hundreds of millions of dong, becoming the main source of income for the family.
It's not just Mr. Chinh's family; currently, in Ha Dong commune, there are dozens of lychee trees over 100 years old. These trees not only have economic value but also serve as "living evidence" of the history of this special lychee variety.
Early-season lychees are "harvesting well and fetching good prices" in Ha Dong.
What many lychee growers have noticed is that the "U Hong" lychee variety from Ha Dong commune, even when transplanted elsewhere, struggles to achieve the same quality as in its original growing region. This "geographical advantage" is what creates the unique brand of early-ripening lychees from Ha Dong, making them a favorite among connoisseurs who seek out fruit from mature trees in the area.
While previously the "u hồng" lychee variety only appeared sporadically, since the 1990s, this variety has begun to be propagated extensively. People in Ha Dong have proactively grafted and propagated the variety, creating many types of lychee such as "u gai" and "tau lai" to suit market demands.
To date, Ha Dong has become the largest early-ripening lychee growing area in Hai Phong city, with an area of over 1,600 hectares. Annual production reaches over 20,000 tons, creating a large-scale specialized cultivation area.
Notably, early-ripening lychees here have almost never experienced the "bumper harvest, low prices" phenomenon. Thanks to harvesting earlier than the main season, early-ripening lychees in Ha Dong always have the advantage of timing, easy sales, and stable prices. The average selling price is around 35,000 VND/kg, bringing a significant income to the people. Many recall that in the past, a lychee tree yielding over a ton of fruit could buy a television. At that time, the lychee tree was as precious as a "gold tree" in the house.
Despite its high value, growing early-ripening lychees is not simple. Increasingly unpredictable weather forces growers to constantly adapt. The family of Mr. Trinh Xuan Cuong in Vinh Ninh village is a prime example. With over one acre of early-ripening lychees, Mr. Cuong always focuses on applying scientific cultivation techniques to ensure yield and quality.
He explained that to ensure stable flowering and fruiting, growers must closely monitor each growth stage and promptly address any unusual weather conditions. Pruning, fertilizing, and pest control must all be carried out according to proper procedures. Thanks to persistent learning and sound investment, his family's lychee orchard consistently yields high productivity each year. On average, they earn over 300 million VND annually, sometimes nearly 600 million VND, enough to build a spacious house and stabilize their lives.
Currently, 100% of the early-ripening lychee growing area in the commune is cultivated according to VietGAP standards, ensuring food safety and meeting market requirements. As a result, Ha Dong early-ripening lychees are not only in high demand domestically but also exported successfully, especially to the Chinese market. In major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, early-ripening lychees are always popular with consumers.
Mr. Hoang Van Dai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Dong commune, said that the locality will continue to maintain the area of over 1,600 hectares of early-ripening lychee trees, while encouraging people to preserve old lychee trees. This is not only an economic value but also a historical and cultural value that needs to be preserved.
Nearly 100,000 VND/kg for white egg-shaped lychees in Ha Dong commune.
Currently, many households in Ha Dong commune are harvesting early-ripening white egg-shaped lychees and selling them at prices ranging from 95,000 to 98,000 VND/kg, similar to last year's prices.
The early-ripening lychee variety, known as the white-egg lychee, is the first lychee variety to be harvested and is widely grown in Ha Dong commune. Ha Dong is also the locality with the largest area of early-ripening lychee cultivation in Hai Phong city, with 1,600 hectares, mainly consisting of the following varieties: white-egg lychee, pink-egg lychee, spiny-egg lychee, and hybrid lychee. The entire commune has 30 lychee growing areas granted export codes, covering an area of over 500 hectares.
Early lychee varieties will be in full harvest from May 10th to 15th.
Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/mua-vai-som-o-ha-dong-540848.html
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