Right after the rice harvesting competition, the teams continued to compete in harvesting hawthorn apples at the 2nd Golden Season Festival in 2025 in Xim Vang commune, attracting a large number of ethnic people and tourists from all over to attend.
The hawthorn trees are laden with fruit ready to harvest.
According to the rules, each team consisting of one male and one female wearing traditional costumes will compete in picking apples for 15 minutes in the Xim Vang village area. The scoring criteria are based on the weight, quality of ripe fruit, no bruises, and safe apple picking skills that ensure no impact on the growth and development of the tree.
Hawthorn picking teams.
Picking apples requires skill, carefulness and endurance. The teams must climb tall, old apple trees to select each bunch of ripe fruit.
The joy of apple picking.
Hawthorn, also known as Chinese apple, has long been associated with the lives of ethnic minorities in the highlands of Son La province. Not only contributing to greening barren land and bare hills, hawthorn also brings a significant source of income, improving the economic life of the people here, becoming a valuable product of the highlands that the commune is interested in promoting and introducing products to contribute to increasing the value of hawthorn.
The Organizing Committee checks the teams' apples after harvesting.
The apple picking contest aims to honor the beauty of the Mong ethnic group and encourage people to protect and develop hawthorn trees, while promoting local specialties to tourists from all over.