Hưng Yên farmers check egg-shaped lychees (vải trứng) in early June. Egg-shaped lychee is a unique variety grown in Phù Cừ District that has become a consumer favourite. — VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Văn Nhiều

HƯNG YÊN — Not just popular for longans, Hưng Yên Province is also known as the cradle of the early-ripening Phù Cừ lychee, particularly the variety 'vải trứng', with its thick and juicy flesh, sweet taste and bright pinkish yellow skin.

To enhance the value of this agricultural product, the province’s authorities are working hard to build a brand for Hưng Yên lychees.

Phù Cừ District is considered the lychee capital of the province, with a total growing area of 1,200 hectares, including 850 hectares of early-maturing Phù Cừ lychees and the remainder for 'vải trứng' (literally translated as ‘egg lychees’) which describes the shape of the fruit. This year, the estimated lychee yield for the entire district is over 14,000 tonnes.

To ease production and product consumption, the area has established concentrated defined lychee-growing regions.

Early-ripening Phù Cừ lychees are mainly grown in the southern communes of the district such as Tam Đa, Minh Tiến, and Tiên Tiến, while the egg lychees are cultivated in the communes of Phan Sào Nam and Minh Tân.

Phù Cừ lychees are known for their early ripening with heart-shaped fruits, with one kilogram consisting of 25-30 fruits on average. They are grown under VietGAP standards, offering a mild sweetness and distinctive aroma.

Notably, this type of lychee ripens 10-15 days earlier than other varieties in the market, one of the reasons it is a customer favourite.

But egg lychees also have several advantages over other varieties, such as being larger fruits, with one kilogram consisting of 18-22 fruits. They have bright red skins, thick flesh and a distinctive sweet and refreshing flavour.

These two products have been recognised by the Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam and classified by the Hưng Yên Provincial People's Committee as 4-star one-commune-one-products (OCOP). This recognition provides favourable conditions for building a brand for Hưng Yên lychees.

According to the vice chair of the Phù Cừ District People's Committee, Vũ Xuân Thủy, in recent years, to enhance the brand and value of fresh lychees, the district has actively organised trade conferences and encouraged outstanding orchards to take part in promotional activities organised by the province.

These activities provide opportunities for farmers to boost production and connect with more supply and distribution channels, both domestically and internationally. As a result, early-maturing Phù Cừ lychees and Hưng Yên egg lychees have become popular with businesses, traders and consumers.

The district has also implemented policies to encourage concentrated production, Thủy said, such as building new roads, upgrading electrical infrastructure and assisting farmers with seed resources and lychee care techniques.

The district's agricultural department encourage farmers to follow VietGAP standards and help them monitor crop development regularly to provide timely pest control following the 'Four Right' principles (right drug – right dose – right time – right method) to preserve quality, he added.

He said: "To elevate the brand of lychees, Phù Cừ District will focus on converting rice fields to higher-value crops while implementing support mechanisms and policies for farmers, with a focus on significantly shifting to cultivating key crops such as Hưng Yên egg lychees and early-maturing Phù Cừ lychees.

“At the same time, we will continue to build brands and trademarks for key agricultural products, use traceability labels to protect brands and affirm the quality and reputation of the products.”

Traders and business representatives visit an early-maturing lychee garden in Tam Đa Commune, Phù Cừ District, Hưng Yên Province in May. — VNA/VNS Photo Mai Ngoan

Minh Tiến Commune is a key area for cultivating early-ripening Phù Cừ lychees, with trees covering an area of over 250 hectares. This year's estimated lychee yield is over 7,000 tonnes.

Director of the Minh Tiến Cooperative Đồng Thị Thu Hương said that the shorter growing time, attractive appearance and distinctive sweet flavour of Phù Cừ lychees, have made them a popular agricultural product in recent years.

Although this year's yield is not as high as previous years, the prices are good, ranging from VNĐ20,000-25,000 (eight cents to one US dollar) per kilo.

In the last few years, the Phù Cừ People's Committee has organised lychee trade conferences before the harvest season, Hương said.

“This year, many import-export businesses and traders were invited to visit the lychee gardens, so most of the cooperative's production was purchased directly at the gardens, which made our farmers very happy,” she said.

Hưng Yên egg lychees have become a bit of a trend in the Vietnamese fruit market due to their large size and appearance.

Despite the high price of VNĐ120,000-150,000 ($5-6) per kilogram, as yields from this variety are often low, it is always in high demand. This also presents a significant challenge for local authorities in enhancing the brand of Hưng Yên egg lychees.

Mai Văn Quyết, Director of the Quyết Tiến Agricultural Cooperative in Phan Sào Nam Commune, Phù Cừ District, said that egg lychees, with their large size and red skin, are much sought after by high-end consumers, who visit the farms to purchase them.

Therefore, safe and organic farming is a goal that the cooperative strives towards to enhance the value of Hưng Yên egg lychees, he said.

“To maintain the ‘Hưng Yên egg lychee’ brand, whether in good or bad seasons, the cooperative consistently maintains stable prices to serve the market,” Quyết said.

“Although this year's yield is lower than in previous years, the cooperative has kept the price stable at VNĐ120,000-150,000 per kilo and is determined not to increase it. As a result, all the cooperative's lychee production has been purchased by businesses and traders.”

Vũ Quang Thắng, director of the province’s Department of Industry and Trade, said that they had successfully organised the 'Hung Yen Lychee Fair' at Ecopark Urban Area, Văn Giang District on June 1-2.

“This event provided an opportunity for cooperatives, gardens, producers and businesses involved in early-maturing Phù Cừ lychees and Hưng Yên egg lychees to exchange, improve product quality and form links for domestic and export agricultural product production and consumption,” he said.

The department will cooperate with other departments and local areas to strengthen support for businesses, cooperatives and producers, he said.

This aims to enhance the effectiveness of trade promotion, expand the market for lychees and other agricultural products of the province and reduce market dependence that often results in low sales despite abundant yields, Thắng said.

“We will help cooperatives and farmers to find trade partners and give them the opportunities for exchange and purchase goods,” he said.

“Special attention will be given to supporting key, distinctive and potential products, OCOP products and typical industrial agricultural products of the province.” — VNS