Leaders of Hai Duong province and Thanh Ha district cut the ribbon to open the 2025 lychee harvest season. (Photo: Investment Newspaper)

On May 30, 2025, Hai Duong Province held the event “Hai Duong – Lychee Harvest Season 2025” and the “Opening Ceremony of Thanh Ha Lychee Gardens,” officially launching the 2025 lychee harvest season.

This is a key activity in a series of trade promotion efforts aimed at promoting the brand, increasing value, and expanding consumption markets for lychee—one of the province’s eight key agricultural products.

Presence in demanding Markets

At the event, Mr. Tran Van Quan, Vice Chairman of Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee, said that Thanh Ha lychees are a famous specialty in both domestic and international markets.

Produced according to GAP standards and meeting export criteria, Thanh Ha lychees have received geographical indication certification, traceability labels, and have been honoured among the “Elite Specialties of the Three Regions” and the Top 10 trusted and high-quality products. They are also under central government review for the 5-star OCOP rating.

Thanks to their improved quality, Thanh Ha lychees have successfully penetrated demanding markets such as the U.S., Japan, Australia, and Europe.

In 2025, Hai Duong Province has 8,800 hectares of lychee cultivation, with Thanh Ha District accounting for over 3,280 hectares. Lychees are also grown in Chi Linh City and scattered across several other districts.

Mr. Tran Van Quan affirmed: "The Hai Duong provincial authority is committed to creating the most favourable conditions in terms of administrative procedures, security and order, transportation and parking facilities, and other related services to ensure convenience for all partners coming to Hai Duong to purchase lychees and other agricultural products."

Hai Duong leaders officially open the lychee gardens, marking the start of a promising harvest season. (Photo: Hai Duong Newspaper)

The province has been granted 198 growing area codes for lychee cultivation to meet export requirements, of which Thanh Ha District alone holds 167 codes. There are also 16 certified packing facilities serving major export markets, including China (48 codes), Australia (39), Japan (34), the United States (38), and Thailand (8).

This year, Hai Duong expects to harvest around 60,000 tons of lychees, with Thanh Ha accounting for approximately 38,000 tons.

Thanh Ha lychees have received geographical indication (GI) certification and earned several prestigious accolades, such as: “Top 10 trusted and high-quality products” and recognized as a specialty of “Elite specialties of the Three Regions”; recipient of the “Golden Brand” Award; certified “Trusted safe food brand”; ranked in the Top 10 Famous Brands and Trademarks, awarded by the Vietnam Business Science Union and Intellectual Property and Innovation Magazine.

Laying a solid foundation for sustainable agricultural consumption

Beyond its traditional export market of China (which consumes approximately 15,000–20,000 tons annually), Thanh Ha lychees have successfully entered high-end markets such as the United States, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and EU countries. In addition, domestic consumption remains strong, averaging around 20,000 tons annually, primarily in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The “Hai Duong -- Lychee Havest Season 2025” event is expected to contribute to boosting the consumption of Thanh Ha lychees across provinces and cities nationwide, as well as promoting exports to major markets such as Japan, the United States, Australia, and China.

At the San Francisco (USA) site, Mr. Tong Ba Luan, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office branch, affirmed continued support for Hai Duong in promoting the export of agricultural products, particularly lychees. He noted: “The U.S. market has strict requirements on plant quarantine and packaging standards, but it offers great consumption potential. Businesses need to continue improving quality and production processes to meet these standards.”

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the export of Thanh Ha lychees to Japan in 2025. (Photo: Investment Newspaper)

According to several Vietnamese Trade Counselors abroad, Thanh Ha lychees have yet to see significant import volumes due to relatively high prices, ranging from VND 600,000 to 700,000 per kilogram. The Trade Counselors pledged to provide detailed market information to facilitate the distribution of Hai Duong’s agricultural products, especially Thanh Ha lychees.

Mr. Mai Xuan Thin, General Director of Red Dragon Production - Trading - Service Co., Ltd., said that this year the company has prepared facilities and human resources for a bountiful Thanh Ha lychee season. In addition to traditional markets like Japan, Australia, the U.S., and the Middle East, the company is also expanding into Canada and Europe.

“This year’s lychees are of better quality, offer more variety, and look more appealing. We’ve already shipped lychees to Australia by air, and this morning, Australian consumers were enjoying Thanh Ha lychees,” Mr. Thin shared.

This year, Hai Duong expects to harvest around 60,000 tons of lychees, with Thanh Ha accounting for approximately 38,000 tons.(Photo: Labour Newspaper)

In the coming time, provincial authorities and localities with lychee cultivation need to actively promote awareness, guide farmers in producing in accordance with standards, and maintain regular connections with overseas trade counselors.

Mr. Tran Van Hao, Director of Hai Duong Department of Industry and Trade, emphasized that alongside exports, the province also prioritizes boosting domestic consumption. The Department has coordinated with major retail groups, wholesale markets, and e-commerce platforms to bring Thanh Ha lychees to large supermarkets in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, and other key provinces and cities. This is considered a strategic direction to maintain the domestic market and establish a solid foundation for sustainable agricultural consumption.

The province calls on both domestic and international media to support communication efforts to raise the brand recognition of “Thanh Ha lychee” not only as a high-quality agricultural product but also as a symbol of the creative and resilient, industrious spirit of the people of Hai Duong.