One kilo of Vietnamese fresh lychees was sold for 3,000 AUD (US$2,254) at a special auction in Pert city of West Australia. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A kilo of Vietnamese fresh lychees was sold for AU$3,000 (US$2,254) at a special auction in Perth City, Australia last week.

The auction opened the Vietnamese Lychee Week held by the Vietnamese Trade Office in Australia.

The auctioned lychees were chosen from the first batch of 17 tonnes of fresh lychees in the 2021 crop that recently arrived in Australia.

The auction, which took place in MCQ supermarket on June 16, drew a large number of visitors who praised the outstanding quality of Vietnamese lychees.

Head of the Vietnamese Trade Office in Australia Nguyễn Phú Hòa said that along with the high quality, this year, importers and distributors have paid a lot of attention to packaging.

The auction aimed to show the value of Vietnamese lychee and support the promotion of the fruit's trademark, he said, adding that all the money from lychee selling at the event will be sent home to support children in lychee-growing regions.

Prior to the harvest season in Viet Nam, the office launched a trademark-building programme to promote the consumption of Vietnamese lychees in Australia.

Vietnamese Lychee Week featured a series of activities to advertise the Vietnamese lychee trademark.

The leading importer of Vietnamese farm produce in Australia, 4wayfresh, said that this week, an additional batch of lychees will arrive in West Australia as part of its plan to import 100 tonnes of lychees from this crop. In other areas such as Victoria and South Australia, importers are importing fresh lychees from Việt Nam to meet market demand.

Vietnamese lychee was first sold in Australia in 2015. Last year, 80 tonnes of fruit were sold.

Lý Hoàng Duy, Director of 4wayfresh, said Vietnamese lychee has an outstanding taste and quality thanks to improved storage and transport technology. The majority of consumers in Australia agree it is the best of its kind in the market.

This year, Australian importers plan to bring in 300-500 tonnes of Vietnamese lychee. — VNS