Seasonlate plumIn 2025, the plum harvest in Moc Chau plateau (Son La province) is entering its final days. Even though it's the end of the season, many orchards still have ripe plums hanging densely on the branches, their deep purple color captivating. The red and purple of the fruit, combined with the green of the leaves, create a vibrant tapestry, attracting tourists from near and far to participate in plum-picking tours.

In contrast to the joy of tourists, plum growers on the Moc Chau plateau are experiencing a less-than-happy plum season.

Freshly harvested late-season plums at Khanh Anh's garden in Tan Yen ward. Photo:Son Trang.

Mr. Nguyen Van Doc, owner of a large plum orchard in Thao Nguyen ward, said that this year's plum harvest is abundant, but prices have dropped sharply, to only about half, or even one-third, of last year's plum season. Currently, the price of small plums sold at the orchard is only about 4,000 - 5,000 VND/kg, while larger ones are priced at 10,000 - 15,000 VND/kg.

Despite the sharp drop in plum prices, Mr. Doc's family still made a profit thanks to low investment costs. His family currently has nearly 1,500 plum trees, with an estimated total yield of 70-80 tons of fruit. The total cost for each plum tree (fertilization, care, etc.) in the 2025 season was approximately 150,000 VND, while the yield per tree ranged from 70-80 kg to over 100 kg. Calculated this year, Mr. Doc's family earned a profit of about 1 billion VND – significantly lower than previous seasons, where they earned over 2 billion VND after deducting all expenses.

To cover production costs, Mr. Doc received strong support from Agribank Moc Chau Branch with a short-term loan of 4.5 billion VND at a preferential interest rate of only 5.5% per year.

Mr. Doc (left) discusses the 2025 plum harvest season with officials from Agribank Moc Chau Branch. Photo:Son Trang.

Besides investing in the care of his 20-hectare orchards of plums, oranges, persimmons, and other short-term crops, Mr. Doc also invested in fertilizers for his affiliated plum orchards in the region. He buys back the plums from these orchards at a rate of 30-40 tons per day. Both his own-produced and purchased plums are sold to many provinces and cities nationwide, reaching as far as the Thu Duc wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City.

Furthermore, thanks to a large loan with preferential interest rates, Mr. Doc boldly invested in machinery and equipment for plum production as well as other fruit trees. A portion of the capital was used to purchase more land to expand the farm.

Besides Mr. Doc, many plum farmers in the Moc Chau plateau, although also experiencing a less-than-satisfying plum season, remain confident in their production thanks to the timely credit from Agribank's Moc Chau Branch. Agribank's Moc Chau Branch currently accounts for approximately 40% of the total outstanding loans of commercial banks in the former Moc Chau town.

Moc Chau plums. Photo:Son Trang.

Moc Chau is one of the largest plum-growing regions in the country, with an area of ​​nearly 3,500 hectares. Thanks to its cool climate and fertile soil, in addition to plums, many other fruit trees are also being developed here, such as apricots, oranges, and mangoes.

Besides the income from the plums themselves, during the season when the mountains and forests are covered in white blossoms or when the branches turn red with ripe plums, many plum orchards in the Moc Chau plateau also earn additional income from tourists who come to visit the orchards, take photos with the plum blossoms, or experience harvesting plums there.

Ms. Pham My Anh, owner of Khanh Anh garden in Tan Yen commune, said that to help tourists have more interesting experiences, her garden offers additional services and products such as renting traditional H'Mong costumes for guests to take photos with plum blossoms and plums, making stir-fried plums with ginger, and dried persimmons... so that guests can have more Moc Chau specialties to take home as gifts.