Mr. Vang A Vang (on the right) shares his experience in intensive cultivation of off-season plums.

Returning to his hometown after completing his military service, Mr. Vang realized he couldn't escape poverty by simply growing corn and rice on the hillside... When a road was built to the commune, Mr. Vang boldly changed his mindset. He borrowed money to buy a truck to collect corn from the villagers and transport it to the highway for sale. At that time, the price of corn grown on the hillside differed significantly from the price of corn in the district town. Since he acquired a truck to transport corn for sale, the H'Mông people in Din Chi village have been able to sell their corn at a better price, increasing their income.

For over a decade, Mr. Vang traded corn, gradually accumulating capital. He bought more trucks and hired drivers to transport the corn for sale. With two trucks, he became a "rich man" in the village! In 2017, he bought an excavator worth nearly one billion dong to build roads into the village and level land for the H'Mong people. Trading corn and operating excavators, Mr. Vang reaped rewards in both. In the following years, he acquired two more excavators. Wherever the excavators went, they brought about change. Each year, Mr. Vang earned half a billion dong from the three excavators. Being a shrewd businessman, he decided to convert all 5 hectares of his family's corn fields to plum trees. On the steep, barren hills, he diligently dug holes to plant the plum trees.

Mr. Vang's house is located near the main road, not far from the Vietnam-Laos border. Surrounded by mountains and forests, his house is grand and spacious. When we arrived, Mr. Vang was in his garden, surrounded by rows of plum trees in full bloom, their white blossoms a beautiful sight. The scent of plum blossoms, lingering in the night dew, mingled with the faint fragrance of the forest carried on the breeze, giving visitors a sense of peace.

Greeting us right in his plum orchard, Mr. Vang excitedly said: "The off-season plums are blooming evenly like this, promising a bountiful harvest. Off-season plums sell for 6-7 times the price of regular plums. Initially, I was a bit hesitant, but now that the plums are blooming as expected, I'm very happy. This will open up a new direction in intensive plum cultivation here. Last season, my family earned over 130 million VND from the first plum trees. This season, we expect the yield and income to increase threefold. Currently, I have planted nearly 2,000 plum trees, of which 600 are already producing fruit."

According to Mr. Vang, the key condition for successfully cultivating off-season plums is water. Securing water in this region is a significant challenge, but Mr. Vang boldly invested in a modern, automated irrigation system spanning over half a kilometer. This allows the plum trees to receive water three months earlier than during the main season. In early September, Mr. Vang sprayed the trees with biological products to supplement nutrients. Additionally, he pruned overgrown branches to concentrate nutrients in the younger, more mature branches. Thanks to this scientific approach, by early February of the following year, the off-season plums ripened, fetching a very high price of 80,000 VND/kg. Notably, off-season plums are easy to sell, even though their yield is only slightly lower than that of the main season plums.

Ms. Hoang Thi Chuyen, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Chieng On commune, Yen Chau district, informed: Mr. Vang A Vang is one of the exemplary farmers who dares to think and act. Not only has he created an effective economic model for his family, legitimately enriching himself in his homeland, but he is also an example for other H'Mong and Xinh Mun households in the village to follow and develop their economy...

Quoc Tuan