Local deity of Xuan Lap with the "million-dollar" tree.

The land in Xuan Lap ward, Dong Nai city, where Mr. Trinh Cao Khai (66 years old, residing in Phu My neighborhood), Director of Xuan Lap Agricultural - Commercial - Service Cooperative, was born, raised, and has a long-standing connection to the area, boasts many famous and delicious crops that bring high economic value.

Báo Đồng Nai•27/05/2026

Mr. Trinh Cao Khai with his family's nearly 2-hectare durian orchard in Phu My neighborhood, Xuan Lap ward. Photo: Doan Phu

Economic development through crop cultivation.

During his childhood, Trinh Cao Khai's garden was filled with fruit grown by his parents for family consumption. It wasn't until 1980, when he married Tran Thi Ngoc Suong, that he began to think about developing his family's economy through agriculture . With all the capital they had accumulated after their wedding, they bought 2.4 hectares of land along a stream to start their business.

Coffee was the first perennial crop that Mr. Khai and his wife chose to plant, alongside other crops like corn, beans, and rice, to generate short-term income while waiting for the coffee to ripen. From the day they bought the land and dug holes to plant the coffee, Mr. Khai and Mrs. Suong's hope was to endure the rain and sun while waiting for the coffee harvest.

After two successful coffee harvests with a slight surplus, Mr. Khai and Mrs. Suong were delighted to have a very successful coffee harvest in 1987, yielding 3 tons of green coffee beans (at that time, 6 kg of green coffee beans was worth about one tael of gold).

Coffee cultivation enabled Mr. and Mrs. Khai to acquire nearly 2 hectares of new land, bringing their total coffee plantation area to 4.2 hectares. However, coffee prices then began to fall sharply, becoming unattractive to growers, with the worst period being 2001-2005 (prices as low as 2,000-4,000 VND/kg of green coffee beans).

Although they couldn't avoid losses from their coffee plantation investment, Mr. and Mrs. Khai, being shrewd, gradually converted a portion of their coffee plantation to fruit trees such as rambutan, mangosteen, jackfruit, and durian, adopting a multi-cropping approach. The durian varieties that Mr. and Mrs. Khai and many local farmers planted at that time had very unusual names, such as "Chin Hoa" (from the Mekong Delta), or even the growers themselves didn't know what variety it was because they were grown from seeds (they bought the fruit, found it delicious, and then planted the seeds). These weren't the varieties like Dona, Ri6, Monthong, or Musangking, which are considered "billion-dollar" crops by farmers in Xuan Lap ward today.

Xuan Lap ward has hundreds of hectares of new durian varieties that meet export standards, such as Dona, Ri6, Monthong, and Musangking. Currently, the locality has the Xuan Lap Agricultural - Commercial - Service Cooperative specializing in durian and has been granted a planting area code with an area of nearly 200 hectares.

Mr. Trinh Cao Khai recounted: "Back then, durian didn't bring as much economic value as it does now. We hadn't built a supply chain; it was mainly consumed within the region and in traditional markets. The reason was that the origin of the variety was unclear, and there were no proper cultivation techniques. As a result, trees died for unknown reasons after 8-10 years, and the fruit fell naturally without control. The durian flesh was mushy and tough, and the quality of the fruit could only be assessed after cutting it open and eating it…"

Lessons learned from the "million-dollar" tree.

At the age of 50, Mr. Trinh Cao Khai perfected the durian cultivation technique suitable for the land in Xuan Lap ward after many failures. Mr. Trinh Cao Khai confided: He and many farmers at that time did not have standard varieties, planting from seeds, and learning experience from each other and from other regions. Therefore, failure was inevitable. At that time, farmers dug holes 0.6m deep and 0.8m wide to plant durian seedlings. With this method, during the rainy season, the holes would flood, and the trees, unable to withstand waterlogging, would die. Those trees that survived, when the holes were filled with soil, the trunk at the base was buried deep, preventing the roots from breathing, leading to the tree's death.

Fortunately for Mr. Trinh Cao Khai and the farmers in Xuan Lap ward, because they applied a multi-crop model, durian is just one of many other fruit and industrial crops, so even if this crop fails, they still have income from other crops.

Farmers in Phu My neighborhood, Xuan Lap ward, are applying the technique of planting durian trees with three trunks, similar to many other areas in Dong Nai city.

In 2010, the durian cultivation movement began to develop in many localities in Dong Nai province, especially in the Long Khanh - Xuan Loc area. At this time, many standard durian varieties such as Dona, Ri6, Monthong, Musangking… and new planting and care techniques appeared. Therefore, Mr. Khai and many farmers in the ward were determined to correct their mistakes.

Farmers choose to buy seedlings from reputable nurseries and suppliers both locally and internationally. The planting techniques are completely different from the past. In red basalt soil without rocks, they plant directly on the surface in rows, following the slope for better drainage. In rocky soil, they dig deep holes, remove all the rocks, and fill them with loamy soil to level the surface before planting. Farmers now understand very well that durian trees are very sensitive to waterlogged, poorly drained, and poorly aerated soil.

Speaking of the "billion-dollar crop" durian, we met Mr. Trinh Cao Khai, Director of the Xuan Lap Agricultural - Commercial - Service Cooperative. He not only understands the land and each type of crop but is also someone who knows how to learn, bringing in new durian varieties and organic planting and care techniques, applying science and technology to achieve high economic efficiency for durian.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, Vice Chairperson of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairperson of the Farmers' Association of Xuan Lap Ward.

Mr. Trinh Cao Khai said: Many people are so meticulous that they don't plant durian trees in a polyculture system in their orchards, choosing to plant only one variety for easier care and harvesting. They are guided by agricultural extension officers and experienced durian growers. Once durian trees are intercropped with many other plants, or different durian varieties are planted in the same orchard, there are mutual influences from care to pest and disease control. Especially the amount of water supplied to the trees during the flowering period; excess or insufficient water will affect the yield of the crop.

The lessons learned from failure, which emboldened farmer Trinh Cao Khai and many others to change their mindset and practices, not only transformed the Phu My neighborhood into a verdant durian orchard, but also resulted in other neighborhoods in Xuan Lap ward having dozens of hectares of new durian varieties yielding billions of dong per hectare per year.

As an experienced durian grower, Mr. Trinh Cao Khai has not only enriched himself but also shared his experience in growing and caring for durians with other farmers in the region. The Xuan Lap Agricultural - Commercial - Service Cooperative, where he serves as director, brings together 91 households with "million-dollar" durian trees in the area. They participate in organic durian cultivation, export-oriented farming, and are granted planting area codes to protect their brand, ensuring stable durian sales during peak harvest seasons. Especially, by joining the Xuan Lap Agricultural - Commercial - Service Cooperative, members receive preferential loans, scientific and technical support, and quick updates on market information and stringent standards from durian export buyers.

Doan Phu

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/phong-su-ky-su/202605/tho-dia-vung-dat-xuan-lap-with-cay-tien-ty-ccc35ae/