Smart irrigation: A policy that transforms the entire fruit-growing region

The secret to bountiful fruit

Amid the lush green hills of Group 13, Doi Can ward, Tuyen Quang city, Tuyen Quang province, Ms. Long Thi Hang’s guava orchard stands out as a bright spot in the high-tech agricultural movement. Covering 3 hectares with nearly 2,000 guava trees entering harvest season, the water-saving irrigation model that Ms. Hang implemented in 2024 has brought clear economic benefits and helped change traditional farming habits.

Previously, Ms. Hang had installed a simple single-pillar irrigation system but had to manually water each hill area with hoses, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive. “Each time we irrigated, one or two people had to work continuously on 1 hectare, and the distance was just over 100 meters, which wasted water and was exhausting,” she shared.

Recognizing the inefficiency, in 2024 Ms. Hang boldly invested in an automatic drip irrigation system worth over 200 million VND, supported by the province under the water-saving irrigation encouragement policy. The system includes a pump, filtration system, meters, hoses, and valves clearly divided by hill zones, allowing flexible remote control.

When needed, with a simple operation, water is delivered exactly to the required area without direct manual operation. What’s special is that this system can operate at night, completely free from labor time constraints.

Since applying the water-saving irrigation model, Ms. Hang’s guava orchard has not only remained lush year-round but also produced evenly sized, sweet, and high-yield fruits. During peak days, she harvests about 1 ton of guava daily. At times, the selling price reached up to 25,000 VND/kg, a high and stable price for this common fruit tree. Thanks to this, her family enjoys a stable income.

In Hamlet 5, Thong Nhat village, Yen Phu commune, Ham Yen district, the dragon fruit cultivation model with over 1,300 poles by Mr. Ha Van So is also becoming a highlight in applying advanced, water-saving irrigation technology in agricultural production. With a smart remote control system, the entire dragon fruit hill area is now irrigated evenly and timely without relying on manual labor or weather conditions.

Mr. So shared that, thanks to government support of 24 million VND under the policy for installing water-saving irrigation systems, his family confidently invested and changed their farming methods. Since installing the automatic irrigation system, the dragon fruit plants have grown healthily, produced uniform and plump fruits, and yields have tripled.

Each season, Mr. So’s family harvests between 4 and 4.5 tons of fruit, with up to 6 main harvests per year. As a result, the total annual yield exceeds 24 tons, generating an income of 220 to 250 million VND. After deducting costs, the profit remains above 150 million VND — a figure many mountainous farming households can only dream of.

The stories of Ms. Long Thi Hang and Mr. Ha Van So not only vividly demonstrate the effectiveness of the water-saving irrigation model but also reflect the initiative, flexibility, and progressive mindset of Tuyen Quang’s farmers. These positive changes from small-scale models are contributing to the formation of a modern, environmentally friendly agricultural sector capable of sustainable adaptation in the future.

Effectiveness of the policy for farmers

As one of the mountainous provinces in northern Vietnam with strengths in fruit cultivation, Tuyen Quang is increasingly affirming its role as a key commodity agricultural production region. With approximately 5,000 hectares of oranges, 5,000 hectares of pomelos, 2,000 hectares of lemons, and about 4,000 hectares of other fruit trees, the province has been implementing various solutions to enhance production efficiency, among which the application of water-saving irrigation systems has become an inevitable trend yielding clear results.

To promote the application of technology in agricultural production, the People's Council of Tuyen Quang province issued Resolution No. 03/2021/NQ-HDND dated July 16, 2021. Accordingly, organizations and individuals receive one-time support covering 50% of the costs of materials, construction machinery, and equipment to invest in advanced, water-saving irrigation systems for upland crops, with a maximum support level of no more than 40 million VND per hectare.

Mr. Bui Chi Thanh, Head of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Irrigation Sub-department, stated that the conditions for support are quite clear: for individuals, the minimum irrigated area is 0.1 hectares; for organizations, it is 1 hectare or more, and there must be a production linkage contract. The support is provided after the project is completed and accepted according to regulations, ensuring transparency and effectiveness.

The policy’s implementation results have delivered impressive figures: in 2024 and early 2025 alone, the province supported 82 organizations and individuals to deploy modern irrigation systems over an area of 168 hectares, with total support funding exceeding 6.4 billion VND. Since the resolution’s implementation, a cumulative total of 282 organizations and individuals have been supported, covering nearly 765 hectares with nearly 16 billion VND in funding.

The family of Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh in Cay Nhan hamlet, Tu Quan commune, Yen Son district, applies water-saving irrigation to their over one-hectare orange and pomelo orchard. The system helps the family save water and labor while promoting healthy and sustainable tree growth.

Mr. Vinh shared, “The weather is now unpredictable, sometimes sunny for an entire month, other times sudden heavy rain. Trees not only need fertilizer but water is the key condition for their development. As growers, if we love the land and cherish the trees, the land and trees will surely not let us down,” he said with a proud smile.

From a sound policy, Resolution No. 03 has been motivating Tuyen Quang people to boldly innovate cultivation methods, apply technical advances, and gradually elevate the value of local agricultural products. This also serves as an important foundation for building a smart, efficient, and sustainable agricultural sector for the future.

$ 1 = VND 26.132 - Source: Vietcombank.