When lychee growers become 'plant doctors'

Proactively overcoming the "lush leaves, lazy blooms" phenomenon

In the 2026 lychee crop, prolonged humid weather and a warm winter caused lychee trees to develop "lush leaves, lazy blooms." Amid crop failures in many places, in the key lychee regions of Ha Dong Commune and Thanh Ha Commune (Hai Phong), new-generation farmers calmly mastered the crop season using breakthrough scientific and technological solutions.

No longer relying entirely on folk experience, current lychee growers have become true "plant doctors." When soil moisture was too high, causing trees to prioritize shoot growth over flower bud differentiation, technical solutions were implemented in tandem. Using "super potassium" to force leaves to age quickly alongside new-generation flower-stimulating preparations helped lychee trees achieve impressive fruit-set rates.

Mr. Vu Van Mui (Ha Vinh Village, Ha Dong Commune) - Head of Production Unit No. 1, shared about the improved trunk-girdling technique: "This year, we had to make wider and deeper girdling cuts to completely block phloem sap flow. This creates a simulated stress state, forcing the tree to stop nourishing shoots and switch to reproductive mode, concentrating on flower bud differentiation."

As a result, while generally lychee yield across the region declined due to adverse weather, Mr. Mui's household maintained an output of 2.5 tons, with premium lychee varieties such as pink egg (trung hong) and vine egg (trung day) achieving fruit-set rates up to 90%. The household of Ms. Le Thi Anh, Deputy Head of Production Unit No. 1, with 2 sao (approx. 720 m²) of lychee, also attained an 80% yield thanks to applying techniques to master production during unfavorable weather. "We have to stay in the orchard daily. If we see young green shoots still emerging, we must immediately use products to force leaves to age quickly, suppressing vegetative growth so the tree can concentrate its strength on flowering," Ms. Anh stated.

The biggest difference of Thanh Ha lychee in recent years lies not only in sweet flavor, but in cleanliness. To fulfill strict maximum residue limit (MRL) standards from Japan, the US, and the EU, a rigorous management system was established.

The Hai Phong Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection executed a strong transition, completely eliminating chemical pesticides and replacing them with biological preparations. A cross-monitoring process among members in production units is operated strictly.

Currently, many lychee orchards in Thanh Ha and Ha Dong possess electronic growing area codes. Every lychee fruit on supermarket shelves in London or Tokyo carries a QR code. Global consumers can trace back from fertilizer types and harvest dates to packaging units. This data transparency is key to lychees penetrating demanding markets.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, Director of the Hop Duc Agricultural Services Cooperative (Ha Dong Commune), said the cooperative has over 800 lychee-growing households with an area exceeding 200 hectares. In the recent production crop, the overall fruit-set rate across the commune was only about 55-60%, with some areas at 30-40%. However, households adhering strictly to technical protocols still achieved high yields, harvesting tens of tons of fruit.

To manage effectively, Mr. Hien established a "revolutionary" management system via the Zalo group "Pest and Disease Control on Lychee Trees." This serves not only as a place to share technical guidance, but also as an effective cross-monitoring tool.

"We go on field surveys; if we detect any household with poor orchard sanitation or using unauthorized chemicals, we take photos and post them to the Zalo group for public warning. Unit heads look at that and immediately know which household in their managed area is doing wrong to remind them, without favoritism," Mr. Hien shared.

Policy levers

To escape the situation of good harvests with falling prices, Mr. Pham Van Giang, Head of Lychee Production Unit No. 35 (Thanh Ha Commune), stated he is executing a bold strategy: converting to the high-end lychee segment, Thanh Ha pink egg lychee. This is a large-fruit variety (18-19 fruits/kg) featuring an eye-catching dark pink peel, small seeds, and a signature aroma. Notably, this variety holds an economic value 3-5 times higher than traditional lychee, ranging from 40,000 to 150,000 VND/kg.

"When ripe, the Thanh Ha pink egg lychee variety features superior color and flavor. Grafting new buds onto old lychee trunks helps farmers raise orchard value rapidly," Mr. Giang said.

Also according to Mr. Giang, support from Resolution No. 51 of Hai Phong City served as a financial "lever" helping expand VietGAP and GlobalGAP lychee areas to over 1,045 hectares. Furthermore, in 2026, signing a contract with a US purchasing enterprise at a fixed price of 40,000 VND/kg for Thanh Ha pink egg lychee from the start of the season eliminated concerns about fluctuating market prices. This enterprise directly evaluated and granted GlobalGAP certification for the lychee area on the alluvial riverbank, where the surrounding rivers form a barrier that completely isolates it from pollution sources.

Another crucial step forward Mr. Giang aims toward is post-harvest technology. Farmers harvest lychees and place them in standardized crates, pack them in modern-designed bags, and undergo ultrasonic stem-end pest treatment. This advanced technology from Israel and the US completely eliminates insect eggs at the most sensitive spot without using chemicals.

Afterward, depending on the market, lychee fruits are treated with Methyl Bromide (for Japan) or irradiation (for the US, Australia) to preserve freshness throughout transoceanic journeys. Mr. Giang is also designing premium boxes containing only 6 or 9 fruits, targeting gift markets with prices that can reach up to several million VND per box abroad.

Accompanying farmers' efforts, Ms. Vu Thi Hao, Vice Chairwoman of the Thanh Ha Commune People's Committee, stated that local authorities always provide timely orientations and support from the start of every annual lychee crop. The commune identifies science, technology, and quality control as the "backbone" to maintain the specialty lychee brand.

To realize the target of "clean lychee, tech lychee," the commune established a Community Agricultural Extension Team. This is a core force closely monitoring orchards, supporting farmers from technical treatments for pests and diseases, such as fruit borer and downy mildew, to the application of digital technology and the building of product brands.

"We encourage locals not only to grow lychees, but to produce smart lychees. The key lies in transferring technical advancements for synchronized care under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. Among these, controlling pesticide residues and recording production logs to serve traceability are top priorities," Ms. Vu Thi Hao emphasized.

Leading us to visit newly air-layered and grafted pink egg lychee trunks that are already green and thriving, Mr. Pham Van Giang expects that in the next 5 years, 80-90% of Thanh Ha's lychee output will meet export standards.