(HBO) – Previously, it took farmers in Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province, at least 7-8 years to take care of Doi trees (michelia tonkinensis) before harvesting their nuts which are used as a spice. Now, the technique of graft helps halve the time and opens up a new promising way of growing Doi trees for Quach Phien in Chieng hamlet, Phuc Tuy commune, Lac Son district.
A Doi garden is located on Roc Trau
hill,
500 metresfar away from the local residential area. With branches bearing with rich
fruits, we can’t believe the Doi trees in the garden are in the fourth year.
"We used to plant maize and cassava. Acacia trees also take a long time while
the profit was low, therefore I used to work far from home”, Phien said.
Grafting Doi trees opens up a new way to get rich for Quach Phien (L) in
Chieng hamlet, Phuc Tuy commune, Lac Son district.
It takes just three or four years for
grafted Doi trees to produce fruits while the traditional way takes seven or
eight years. This is a promising way, Phien said, adding that he learnt to
graft Doi trees by himself, with the successful rate now reaching 80 percent.
Fifty grafted Doi trees, which were planted
four years ago, are developing well. The land here is fertile and suitable for
growing Doi trees. They have flowers and fruits right in the third year. Last
year, Phien sold fresh Doi nuts at 600,000 VND (24 USD) per kilogramme, and
dried Doi nuts at 2 million VND (88 USD) per kilogramme, earning over 100
million VND (4,400 USD) from his garden. This year, the trees bear plentiful
fruits, and promise a same value, Phien said.
The Doi trees are developing well
among the Acacia forest. Phien is excited when talking about his Doi trees,
though he regretted for planting them a little too thick. Doi trees should be
planted seven metres away from each other to enable their branches to stretch,
Phien said, adding that he has planted an additional 300 grafted Doi trees and targets
to plant 500 trees this year.
To ensure the quality of grafted Doi
trees, Phien had to select those with many fruits and good development to graft
with other trees. His 50 four-year-old Doi trees offer a huge source. Seeing
his success, many local residents bought seedlings from Phien and now have also
well-developed Doi gardens. Phien plans to expand his Doi garden to supply for
the market.
Besides Doi nuts, Phien also raises
chickens in the garden and earns a stable income. Grafting Doi trees has opened
up a new way for Phien to get rich right in his homeland. This is a promising
livelihood for local residents as many have learnt from Quach Phien to shift
their mixed gardens to Doi trees.
Dao Village’s honey – a product certified with a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) rating by Thong Nhat Agricultural Cooperative in Dao Village (Hoa Binh City) – is highly regarded by consumers for its quality, richness, and variety in packaging. The distinctively sweet taste of Dao Village’s honey leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has tried it.
In alignment with Project No. 07-DA/TU, issued by the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee on November 1, 2021, Lac Thuy district has actively promoted investment and supported the sustainable development of its industrial and handicraft sectors during the 2021–2025 period. Alongside this, the district has remained committed to preserving and revitalising traditional craft villages.
Located in the northern part of Lac Thuy district, with a temperate climate and fertile soil, Phu Thanh commune has great potential and advantages in growing tea. The long-standing experience, combined with strict adherence to organic farming practices in the tea gardens, ensures that the dried tea products from Phu Thanh and Lac Thuy as a whole are sold out immediately upon production, providing a stable and prosperous life for the local people.
Amid efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, Hoa Binh province has intensified measures to address challenges in land clearance, resettlement support, and infrastructure investment, aiming to speed up the progress of key projects.
Hoa Binh province has posted an unprecedented economic growth rate of 12.76% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its highest quarterly performance to date and positioning it as the second fastest-growing locality in the country, trailing only Bac Giang province.
Under current regulations, products in the One Commune – One Product (OCOP) programme that are rated three stars or higher must undergo re-evaluation every three months. However, in reality, some of these products fail to consistently meet the required standards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their OCOP certification. This underscores the urgent need for producers to enhance product quality and gradually develop their OCOP products into strong, marketable brands.
