The H’Mong people say that previously, docynia indica grew naturally in the forest, but in order to improve its productivity, in the past 10-20 years, people have also planted this tree in their home gardens.

The docynia indica forests in Tro A Village, Ta Xua Commune, Bac Yen District have begun to ripen.

This year there is a bumper crop of docynia indica, so local people have started to harvest early in the ninth month of the lunar calendar.

All H’Mong people, from elders to children, from women to men at Ta Xua, Xim Vang, Lang Cheu, and Hang Dong communes are busy day by day collecting the docynia indica.

After being sorted by size and packed into bags, traders drive cars to communes and villages to purchase and sell them in many places.

Although harvested only seasonally at a fairly cheap wholesale price, the docynia indica has contributed to improving the economic life of the local people.

Bac Yen District is considered the ‘capital’ of docynia indica.

Vang Thi Chu from Ta Xua A Village, Ta Xua Commune bundles branches of leaves and docynia indica to bring to Hanoi to sell at the fruit fair. A bag of docynia indica.

Traders drive cars to communes and villages to purchase and sell in many places. In Bac Yen Town, docynia indica retails at between VND10,000 and 15,000 per kilogram.

NDO

Nguyen Huong, Nguyen Duy

Plum blossoms invite tourists to Son La province

On early days of 2020, the first signs of spring have been already spotted with white plum flowers starting to bloom in Moc Chau plateau in the northern mountainous province of Son La.

Na Ka plum valley on Moc Chau plateau

Moc Chau plateau in the northern mountain province of Son La has long been on the traveler’s radar because of its fields of flowers and green tea hills that stretch to the horizon.