Xuan Van in the fruit-laden season

At this time of year, a visit to Xuan Van offers a chance to admire golden pomelos hanging heavily from trees along the alluvial banks of the Lo River, as well as lush persimmon orchards beneath the high autumn sky. These seasonal fruits are an inviting attraction for visitors, drawing them to the area and inspiring a deeper appreciation for this fertile land and its hardworking, down-to-earth farmers who joyfully tend their orchards through each abundant harvest.

The family of Hua Van Lam in Xuan Van Commune has developed an intensive cultivation model for the local specialty astringent persimmon.

Visitors can explore the orchards, pick the fruit themselves, and buy it as a gift.

Xuan Van persimmons are harvested from August to around October in the lunar calendar (approximately September to November in the Gregorian calendar).

Xuan Van persimmons have a distinctive, mildly sweet, crisp and fragrant flavor. The fruit is seedless, with firm, golden-yellow flesh.

Under the autumn sunshine, the fruit accumulates more sugar and develops a richer sweetness after being soaked in clean water using a traditional method to remove its astringency before consumption.

To harvest the persimmons, local farmers use a small ladder, securing it firmly against the larger branches before climbing up to pick the fruit.

As the trees are tall and the fruit is difficult to harvest, hired pickers can earn a relatively good income, receiving an average of VND 7,000 - VND10,000 per kilogram of fruit harvested.

This year, Xuan Van persimmons are fetching good prices, with traders coming directly to the orchards to buy the fruit at an average price of VND 50,000 per kilogram.

After two years affected by natural disasters, pomelo orchards across Xuan Van Commune have recovered and are now laden with fruit.

Dien pomelos are highly valued, with large and heavy fruit, and are expected to begin entering the market in early October.The sweet pomelo variety, which ripens to a bright golden yellow, was harvested and sold from early September, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Trinh Thi Hong of Xuan Van Commune proudly stands beside her bumper pomelo orchard, which promises to provide her family with a stable income toward the end of the year.

The wrinkled-leaf sweet pomelo, a variety that produces heavily clustered fruit, is widely grown by farmers in Xuan Van and marketed across the country.

Minh Hoang