A visit to Ben Luc in Tay Ninh Province during these days reveal dozens of farming households busily harvesting seedless limes in high spirits as selling prices hit a record high of VND29,000–30,000/kg (US$1.15), four times higher than the same period last year.
Ly Minh Anh, a farmer residing in Hamlet 5 of Thanh Loi Commune, shared that his family cultivates 2ha of limes. With an average yield of about 16 tonnes/hectare, after deducting costs for fertilizer, pesticides, and harvest labor, Mr. Anh earned a profit of nearly VND100 million/hectare ($3,850) for this year-end lime season. “This is the highest profit ever. Harvesting will be finished by the end of this week. This year, my family will celebrate a big Tet,” Mr. Anh boasted excitedly.
The communes of Thanh Loi, Ben Luc, and Luong Hoa in Tay Ninh Province boasts over 4,000ha of seedless limes. Vice Chairman Tran Ngoc An of the Thanh Loi Commune People’s Committee attributes this success to farmers shifting awareness, boldly joining linkage chains, and applying high-tech production.
Consequently, local lime quality now meets VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, qualifying for export to the Netherlands and Asian markets, marking a significant evolution in production models.
In Dong Thap Province, one of the leading localities for fruit acreage in the Mekong Delta, Tet has arrived early for hundreds of durian gardeners this year. As noted in many durian orchards in Cai Be, Ngu Hiep, Phu Huu, and Long Tien communes as well as Cai Lay Ward, traders are bustling to buy and place deposits for harvest after the Lunar New Year of Fire Horse.
Over the past half-month, Grade-1 Monthong durians have been purchased by traders for VND90,000–110,000/kg ($4.2), with a profit of VND40,000–50,000/kg ($1.92). The Ri6 variety also maintains a stable price of VND55,000–70,000kg ($2.69), with a profit of nearly VND30,000/kg ($1.15).
Old farmer Tran Thanh Ba, who owns 2ha of durian in Ngu Hiep Commune, excitedly shared that the weather has been favorable this year. Saltwater intrusion on the Tien River arrived late and did not penetrate deeply, and the closed sluice gate system ensured abundant fresh water, resulting in very high-quality durian fruit.
Along with seedless limes and durians, yellow dragon fruit is also seeing a sharp price increase this year-end. Traders are placing pre-Tet deposits at about VND60,000–80,000/kg ($3.1). Thanks to its unique, beautiful color and high demand for Tet display and decoration, farmers growing yellow dragon fruit are enjoying large profits. The cultivation area for this fruit is expanding in the provinces of Dong Thap and Tay Ninh.
In stark contrast to the busy, joyful harvesting atmosphere of farmers growing limes, durians, mangoes, and yellow dragon fruit in Tay Ninh and Dong Thap, hundreds of King Orange gardeners in Vinh Long Province are in a gloomy state. Orange prices have continuously dived and now hit their bottom, dropping to below VND2,000/kg ($0.08) in some places, yet traders are still not buying.
In Hieu Thanh Commune, the largest orange-growing area in Vinh Long Province, many orange orchards are fully ripe, but owners have not harvested them. Pointing to a King Orange orchard of over 1ha that is ripening with much fallen fruit, farmer Huynh Thanh Quoc, resident of Hieu Thanh Hamlet, sadly said: “Traders are paying less than VND2,000/kg. At this price, harvesting means further losses. This year, Tet is lost.”
Wholesale buyers explain that King Oranges are unpopular for Tet as consumers prefer aesthetic display fruits like pomelos, coconuts, and mangoes. Oranges, hard to preserve and used mainly for juicing, sell slowly.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Head of the Sub-Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Vinh Long Province notes that Vinh Long holds nearly 24,718ha. Rapid expansion caused supply to exceed demand, crashing prices far below the VND6,000–8,000/kg ($0.31) production cost. Currently, Grade-1 oranges sell for just VND4,000/kg ($0.15), while flooded orchards fetch merely VND1,000–2,000/kg, with some as low as VND300/kg ($0.01). This severe devaluation leaves farmers in debt.
Vinh Long Province authorities recommend halting orange expansion and converting inefficient orchards. The provincial Department of Industry and Trade is supporting e-commerce listings, while long-term plans focus on zoning, processing, and branding to prevent price crashes.
Ha Manh Hung, Director of Viet Uc Fruit Export Co. in Tay Ninh Province warns farmers to be cautious about expanding acreage uncontrollably despite recent price hikes. To stabilize output, he suggests adopting organic methods, joining cooperatives for planting codes, and signing official export contracts. These measures aim to prevent oversupply and the recurring “good harvest, bad prices” cycle.
