High-tech agriculture [2]: The sweet harvest of smart farming

A golden season across the technology fields

These days, the flower village of Van Thanh in Cam Ly ward, Da Lat, is deep into the harvest season. Beneath rows of net house roofing stretching into the distance, chrysanthemums are blooming in uniform clusters, ready to be shipped to markets across the country.

Having spent many years in flower farming, Truong Thi Bon knows firsthand the difference between traditional and technology-assisted production. In the past, every heavy rain or bout of erratic weather could degrade flower quality and trigger economic losses. In recent years, her family has shifted most of its production area into net houses to gain greater control over crop care and reduce risk. "Net houses help reduce weather impacts and allow crops to develop more consistently. But to invest comprehensively in high-tech methods, capital and technical expertise remain a significant challenge for many farming households," Bon said.

Her experience reflects a broader shift underway across the province. Where farming once relied primarily on accumulated experience, many stages of production are now governed by technical protocols, water-saving irrigation systems, environmental monitoring equipment, and food safety standards.

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High-tech agriculture [1]: A golden moment for digital farming capital

That transformation is most visible in the specialized vegetable and flower zones of Da Lat and its surrounding areas, where thousands of hectares of greenhouses and net houses have been systematically developed, producing high-quality agricultural output for both the domestic market and export.

Among the most prominent examples is Dalat Hasfarm, widely regarded as the flagship enterprise of Vietnam's high-tech flower industry. Equipped with modern greenhouse systems, advanced propagation technology, and internationally certified production processes, the company supplies large volumes of premium flowers to domestic consumers and markets around the world each year.

During a recent field visit to Dalat Hasfarm, Lam Dong Provincial Party Secretary Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam praised the company's production performance and called on it to continue leading the way in technological innovation, production linkages, and export market expansion. The provincial secretary noted that high-tech agriculture not only produces high-quality products but also increases added value, creates employment, and builds the reputation of local agricultural brands.

The spread of technology is not confined to the flower sector. From vegetable zones applying smart irrigation in Da Lat and Don Duong to coffee and durian farms adopting modern cultivation techniques in the province's western districts, the entire agricultural landscape of Lam Dong is taking on a new character.

Added value on every hectare

The most telling outcome of technology adoption is not found in greenhouses or modern equipment, it is found in the economic returns delivered to producers. According to provincial agricultural data, Lam Dong's average production value per unit of cultivated area now ranks among the highest in the country. Many high-tech vegetable and flower models generate revenue ranging from several hundred million to billions of VND per hectare per year.

In Da Lat and surrounding areas, hydroponic and organic vegetable production inside greenhouses has significantly reduced input material costs, conserved irrigation water, and boosted yields. Many products now meet VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, qualifying them for entry into modern retail distribution systems.

In the flower sector, technology enables consistent quality control, extends shelf life, and meets the demands of premium markets. As a result, the value generated per unit of cultivated land has risen considerably compared to traditional production methods.

In the industrial crop and fruit tree sectors, the gains are equally evident. Water-saving irrigation and precision fertilization systems have helped many coffee-growing zones cut production costs while maintaining stable yields. Numerous durian-growing areas are now managed to export standards, generating billions of dong in annual income for farming households.

A senior representative of the Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Environment stated that the province's goal is not simply to expand the area under high-tech cultivation but, more importantly, to increase the added value of agricultural products. Technology must become a tool for improving production efficiency, raising product quality, and building competitive advantages in the marketplace.

In practice, when technology is applied in an integrated manner, farmers not only see higher incomes but also significantly reduced exposure to risk from weather events, disease outbreaks, and market volatility, a factor of particular importance as agricultural production faces mounting pressure from climate change.

Brands growing alongside markets

One of the most tangible achievements of high-tech agriculture has been its role in building recognizable brands for local produce. Where many products were once sold primarily as unprocessed raw materials, a growing share of Lam Dong's agricultural output is now produced to high-quality standards, backed by traceability systems, and targeted at more discerning markets.

Da Lat vegetables and flowers have long carried a brand name recognized by domestic consumers across the country. Meanwhile, specialty coffee, premium tea, and export-grade durian are steadily asserting their position in international markets.

The deepening involvement of enterprises throughout the value chain has also been a key driver of this progress. Beyond production investment, many companies are now focusing on primary processing, preservation, packaging, and brand development, all of which add value to agricultural products before they reach the end consumer.

Agricultural economists assess that Lam Dong's greatest current advantage is not simply its favorable natural conditions but the modern production foundation accumulated over many years. This serves as a critical platform for the province to develop high-value commodity sectors and expand its export reach.

In numerous working sessions with the agricultural sector and the business community in recent times, Lam Dong's provincial leadership has identified the development of high-tech agriculture, integrated with digital transformation, the green economy, and deep processing, as one of the key growth drivers for the locality in the new period. The expanded development space created by the provincial merger further strengthens conditions for forming large-scale raw material zones, advancing regional integration, and attracting investment into agricultural processing.

Closing scene

Late in the afternoon in Van Thanh, trucks loaded with flowers continue leaving the village, bound for markets across the country. Like the daily consignments of coffee, vegetables, and fruit, they represent the outcome of a transition from an agriculture grounded in experience and intuition to one grounded in science, technology, and market logic.

The sweet harvests of today are reflected not only in rising yields and revenues, but in the transformation of farmers' production mindsets, the growing strength of agricultural enterprises, and the increasingly prominent position of Lam Dong's produce on Vietnam's agricultural map.

From the greenhouses of Van Thanh to the modern farms spread across the plateau, technology is generating new value from every plot of land. That is also the essential foundation from which Lam Dong will continue to pursue its goal of building a green, modern, and internationally competitive agricultural sector in the years ahead.