People in Phiêng Ban are delighted because plums are fetching good prices.

Prices have increased.

The late-season plum tree took root in Na Tau in 1995. In recent years, the locals have expanded the plum cultivation area to 22 hectares, concentrated in Phieng Ban village, through grafting and budding. Here, almost every household in the village grows plums, with some having as few as 30-40 trees and others as many as 100.
Unlike previous years, when Na Tau plums typically experienced a "bumper harvest, falling prices," this year, while plum yields decreased, the selling price was higher. At the beginning of the season, Na Tau plums sold for 40,000-50,000 VND/kg, three times higher than in 2023 (which sold for 10,000-15,000 VND/kg at the start of the season). During the peak season, the price remained stable at 25,000-30,000 VND/kg.

In 2018, Ms. Lu Thi Dien, from Phieng Ban village (Na Tau commune), converted a portion of her orchard to growing late-season plums. Thanks to the grafting method, the plum orchard yielded fruit after only 3-4 years of establishment.

Ms. Lu Thi Dien happily shared: "My family has about 3,000 ^{square meters of} plum trees for commercial purposes. In previous years, the plum trees yielded a good harvest, about 500 kg of fruit, but the selling price was low, from 5,000 to 10,000 VND/kg, resulting in an income of 3-5 million VND per season. This year, the estimated yield for the entire orchard is only 300 kg of fruit, but the selling price is high, 25,000-30,000 VND/kg, so the income has increased to about 12-15 million VND."

Ms. Lu Thi Dien from Phieng Ban village is harvesting plums.

Similarly, Ms. Luong Thi Bien from Phieng Ban village shared: "This year the plum trees didn't bear much fruit, but the selling price is much higher than last year. My family's plum orchard ripened early, and at the beginning of the season, I sold them for 40,000 - 50,000 VND/kg. Now, during the peak harvest season, many households are selling, so the price has dropped to 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. I estimate that my family will earn over 20 million VND this season."

Phiêng Ban has a cool climate and suitable soil conditions, so the plum trees grow and develop well, producing plums that are full of bloom, easy to remove the pits, large, crisp, and sweet. In addition, plums are a low-maintenance crop that requires little labor and cost to care for, yet provides a stable and long-term harvest. Thanks to these advantages, plum trees have become a crop that provides a stable source of income for the people of Phiêng Ban village.

The large, crisp, powdery mangoes provide a stable source of income for the people of Phiêng Ban.

Mr. Lo Van Toan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Na Tau commune, said: "In recent years, the late-season plum tree has proven suitable for the soil conditions and has brought economic benefits to the people of Phieng Ban village. In the coming time, the People's Committee of Na Tau commune will conduct surveys and expand the cultivation of late-season plums to some neighboring villages of Phieng Ban, gradually expanding the area, creating a concentrated growing zone, and aiming to make late-season plums a characteristic product of Na Tau commune."

Diverse sales methods

Previously, displaying and selling plums along National Highway 279 was the only way for the people of Phiêng Ban village to sell their produce. However, in recent seasons, plum orchard owners have grasped customer demand and trends and applied information technology to their sales.

Locals sell plums to drivers traveling on National Highway 279 through Phiêng Ban village.

Ms. Quang Thi Tham from Phieng Ban village said: "Selling along both sides of National Highway 279, the section passing through Phieng Ban village, is still the main business. Every morning, the orchard owners harvest about 10-20 kg of plums and display them for sale to passersby on National Highway 279. On average, each orchard owner sells about 10-20 kg of plums per day. On busy days, the amount of plums sold can reach 25-30 kg. In addition, orchard owners now sell online by sharing articles, images, and videos introducing Na Tau plums on Facebook, TikTok, and Zalo. From there, customers order online or come directly to the orchards to pick the fruit."

Online sales or allowing customers to pick plums directly from the orchards are new methods adopted by orchard owners, so the number of customers is not as consistent as with traditional sales methods, but the quantity per transaction is usually larger. On average, a group of 3-4 people who go into the orchards to pick plums usually take 20-30 kg per trip.

Allowing people to pick plums directly from the orchards is a new sales method adopted by plum orchard owners in Phiêng Ban.

Ms. Lu Thi Dien from Phieng Ban village said: "Plum trees provide income for people from the time they bloom until the fruit is harvested. During the flowering season, many people, especially young people from the center of Dien Bien Phu city , come to take photos and videos with the white plum blossoms. For each person entering the orchard, the owner charges a fee of 20,000 VND. The same is true during the harvest season; those who want to enter the orchard to take photos and pick plums buy all the plums they pick, averaging about 20-25 kg per visit; some groups even buy up to 40-50 kg of plums per visit."

Regarding sales through social media platforms, plum orchard owners in Phieng Ban regularly approach and learn from large plum orchard owners in Moc Chau (Son La province) by creating shops and livestreaming sales on Facebook and TikTok; posting articles and images on social media sites… to find markets. Plum orchard owners in Phieng Ban share: Livestreaming is currently the best online sales method. However, due to limited access to and mastery of technology among the people and the small size of the growing area, orchard owners cannot yet implement it. Currently, people only post articles and images in social media groups and fan pages to sell their products. When someone contacts them to place an order, they pack and ship the goods to the customer. These current sales methods have met 100% of the plum products sold in Phieng Ban.

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