Plum livestream at Phieng Khoai Plum Festival.

Son La has over 85,000 hectares of fruit trees and hawthorn, with key fruits such as mango, longan, plum... In 2025, the total output of fresh fruit is estimated to exceed 510,000 tons, mainly concentrated in Yen Chau, Mai Son, Thuan Chau, Song Ma, Muong La districts, Moc Chau town, Son La city.

During the harvest season, many localities in Son La have flexibly organized cultural activities and fruit picking festivals, both promoting agricultural products, boosting fruit consumption, and creating "cultural rendezvous points" to attract tourists every year. Typical examples include: Moc Chau Plum Picking Festival, Yen Chau Round Mango Festival, Ngoc Chien Hawthorn Flower Festival, Muong Bu Fruit Picking Festival, Muong La District... These events not only have booths of typical agricultural products, quality OCOP products, but are also bustling with many exciting experiential activities, competitions and cultural and sports programs, attracting thousands of visitors from inside and outside the province.

Muong La mangoes are starting to enter harvest season.

In Yen Chau district, there are more than 12,000 hectares of fruit trees, with an annual output of over 100,000 tons, worth about 1,900 billion VND. To promote its strengths, the district focuses on organizing cultural events associated with the crop season. In May this year, Yen Chau successfully organized the first Phieng Khoai Plum Picking Festival and is organizing the Round Mango Festival - an annual event that will take place at the end of May.

Mr. Lo The Thi, Vice Chairman of Yen Chau District People's Committee, said: Through festivals, the consumption of agricultural products of the district has been expanded through many channels, from traditional to modern. At this year's Phieng Khoai Plum Picking Festival, the district coordinated with the post office, businesses, and cooperatives to organize livestreams to introduce and sell plums right at the festival. This activity has brought about clear results in innovating trade promotion methods, linking agricultural product development with tourism, increasing income and building local brands.

Son La plums are introduced into Saigon COOP's consumption channel nationwide.

Attending the Plum Picking Festival in Phieng Khoai Commune, Yen Chau District, Ms. Nguyen Nhat Le, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: With only 20,000 VND/person, we had a wonderful experience in the plum region, taking photos, picking the first ripe plums of the season, and enjoying them right in the garden. Before leaving, I also bought plums as gifts at prices ranging from only 25,000 - 60,000 VND/kg.

Livestream introducing and selling products at plum garden.

To promote the synergy between trade, tourism and culture, the provincial departments and branches are implementing many synchronous solutions. The Department of Industry and Trade and the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion coordinate with units, localities, enterprises and cooperatives to build display areas for typical rural industrial products and OCOP products. These spaces help visitors easily access, experience and shop for typical products of Son La.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Anh, Director of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, said: The Center is promoting trade, promoting fruits, typical agricultural products and OCOP products of the province through many forms, such as bringing products to modern consumption channels, organizing participation in fairs, exhibitions, and conferences connecting supply and demand in provinces and cities across the country. In addition, the Center also coordinates to bring fresh seasonal fruits into meals on Vietnam Airlines flights, contributing to bringing Son La agricultural products closer to customers.

Currently, when many key fruits such as mangoes and plums are in peak harvest season, the Son La Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center has participated in the Hanoi Tourism Festival 2025 with a large-scale display booth. The event is an opportunity to promote tourism and typical agricultural products of the province to a large number of visitors. The Son La booth attracted attention thanks to the diversity of mangoes, plums, red-fleshed dragon fruits, early-ripening longans and many other specialties.

Son La strawberries are brought on Vietnam Airlines flights.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, commented: In addition to traditional sales channels, visitors coming to the garden to experience, harvest and buy agricultural products has opened up an effective on-site consumption channel, while promoting products through active sharing on social networks. In the coming time, the Department will step up support for businesses and cooperatives to promote products on e-commerce platforms and replicate the livestream sales model at festivals.

Exploiting the domestic market through festivals and promotional events is an effective way to help Son La consume agricultural products better, reduce losses and pressure on other channels. This method is being replicated throughout the province, contributing to connecting consumption, promoting tourism, increasing the value of agricultural products, improving people's lives and promoting sustainable socio-economic development.

Minh Thu - Phan Trang