From early morning, container trucks line the narrow road into Phuc Hoa commune in Vietnam's Bac Giang province, loaded with freshly harvested lychees bound for China. The commune, home to 7,000 residents, produces around 10,000 tons of lychees annually. In typical years, 40–50% of the crop is exported to China; in peak years like 2024, that share rises to 70%, according to local officials.
Nguyen Van Ngoc, a local farmer, grows lychees on a 0.56-hectare plot, producing about 14 tons annually, all sold to Chinese traders who buy directly in the commune. His family reports that lychees now fetch 30,000 Vietnamese dong (approximately US$1.10) per kilogram, triple the 10,000–15,000 dong (US$0.40–0.50) per kilo they earned before Chinese buyers entered the market.
With a yield of 13–14 tons, his household earns roughly 400 million dong (around US$15,300) in a season that lasts under a month.
According to Ngo Van Tiep, chairman of the communal People's Committee, lychees sold to China command prices 15–20% higher than domestic markets and offer greater price stability.
Source: Xinhua