The “strawberry growing capital” of Son La province is in Co Noi commune (Mai Son district, Son La province). Co Noi commune has endless strawberry gardens, a very large strawberry yield, but there are very few strawberry retail stalls along the road. Why is that?
Clip: Farmers in Co Noi commune, Mai Son district, Son La province earn big profits from growing strawberries. Clip: Kieu Tam.
Son La strawberries are harvested in the morning, packed at noon, and cannot be sold in time when cut.
Co Noi Commune (Mai Son District, Son La Province) is full of lush green strawberry gardens this season. Each row of strawberry plants is piled high, straight, and covered with clean tarps.
Around the strawberry roots, big and small fruits, green and ripe fruits hang down, each fruit looks plump and eye-catching. Growing in suitable climate and soil conditions, Co Noi strawberries are popular for their quality and delicious flavor.
At Tuyet Long strawberry garden (Co Noi commune, Mai Son district, Son La province), Mr. Lo Van Long - the garden owner is busy picking strawberries.
Mr. Long said: On sunny days, in just a few hours, the strawberries will turn bright red, have a sweet aroma, and can be harvested immediately.
Because there are many orders shipped far away, not only to neighboring provinces but also to Ho Chi Minh City, we have to calculate so that after 2-3 days of shipping, the fruit is still delicious.
Lush green strawberry gardens stretch out in Co Noi commune, Mai Son district, Son La province. Photo: Kieu Tam.
To harvest strawberries at the right time, Mr. Long monitors the weather forecast every day. On sunny days, when the dew is still on the mulberry leaves, Mr. Long and his wife rush out to the garden to harvest.
By noon, when the sun was at its peak, baskets filled with ripe strawberries were being transported home. In the afternoon, dozens of boxes of strawberries were carefully packaged by his family, ready to be distributed to retailers in many provinces and cities across the country.
“My family has more than 2 hectares of strawberries, so during peak season like this, just harvesting, packing, and taking care of the plants takes up the whole day. The strawberries are also purchased by agents after being picked. Not to mention online orders, sometimes we cannot collect them in time to sell, so we cannot open additional retail stalls,” said Mr. Long.
Son La strawberries cannot be harvested in time for sale, so agents buy them right at the garden. Photo: Kieu Tam.
At the strawberry retail stall at Co Noi Intersection, Ms. Tran Phuong, Son La city, Son La province is choosing to buy boxes of fresh strawberries to bring home as gifts.
Ms. Phuong said: I like Co Noi strawberries, sometimes when I have the chance to pass by here, I often stop by to buy strawberries for my family and friends. Every year, there are many retail stalls along this route. But this year, there are fewer retail stalls, luckily there are still strawberries to buy as gifts.
Not only private and small-scale gardens but also cooperatives in Co Noi commune are mainly consumed through intermediary agents.
Mr. Nguyen Van Nam, Director of Xuan Que Strawberry Cooperative, said: Currently, the Cooperative has 18 members with a total area of 50 hectares of strawberries. Since 2018, the entire strawberry growing area of the Cooperative has been grown according to VietGAP standards, with an output of 1,000 tons/year.
Son La strawberries are popular for their delicious flavor and beautiful appearance. Photo: Kieu Tam.
The cooperative's strawberry products are currently consumed in domestic supermarkets and exported to several European countries.
Since the beginning of the season, the cooperative has harvested about 100 tons to supply supermarkets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, at a price of 250,000 - 300,000 VND/kg. Strawberries in Son La are of particularly delicious quality, so they are always consumed strongly by customers who are large supermarkets across the country. Sometimes, the goods exported to supermarkets are sold out, so where can large customers get them to sell retail to customers?
Son La strawberries "VIP goods" overwhelm "regular goods"
Son La has advantages in climate and land with a total strawberry growing area of over 700 hectares in 2024 - 2025; expected output of 9,300 tons, mainly in Mai Son, Yen Chau districts, and Moc Chau town. Of which, Mai Son district has over 550 hectares of strawberry growing area, with a harvest output of 7,500 tons.
VIP strawberries (Emperor strawberries) are 2-3 times larger than medium strawberries... Photo: Kieu Tam.
...only 10-15 strawberries/500 gram box. Photo: Kieu Tam.
After harvest, strawberries are divided into 5 main types according to size: VIP, large, medium, marble, and ve. This year, due to the large temperature difference during the day, strawberries in Co Noi commune, Mai Son district bear more VIP fruit than regular ones, and the flavor is also more delicious.
Compared to the medium-sized strawberries, VIP strawberries are 2-3 times larger in size; round and plump, juicy, sweet and sour, and mildly aromatic. The strawberry plant must grow well and be cared for with adequate nutrition from the beginning of the season to produce many batches of VIP strawberries. A box of VIP strawberries (also known as Emperor strawberries) weighing 500 grams contains 10-15 fruits, the price at the beginning of the season is up to 500 - 800 thousand VND/kg. Even in the middle of the season like now, the price still fluctuates from 150,000 - 250,000 VND/box.
Many private gardens, small farms and cooperatives in Co Noi commune, Mai Son district have boldly applied high-tech strawberry growing models to improve the quality of Son La strawberries. Photo: Kieu Tam.
Mr. Lo Van Khong, a farmer member of Co Noi commune, could not hide his joy: "In 5 years of growing strawberries, this is the first year my garden has harvested so many VIP strawberries."
According to Mr. Khong, although this year's output is lower than previous years, in return, the proportion of VIP strawberries is high, and the selling price is also much higher. "At the beginning of the season, each VIP strawberry cost as much as a bowl of pho, and I was reluctant to eat it. Now the price is "softer", but VIP strawberries are still sought after by customers and ordered continuously," Mr. Khong said with a smile.
To increase VIP strawberry yield, Mr. Khong proactively learned more care techniques on the Internet. His family boldly invested in a drip irrigation system, automatic watering for the 6000m2 strawberry garden.
Since February 2025, Son La strawberries have “taken off” with Vietnam Airlines, serving customers on domestic and international flights. Photo: Kieu Tam.
Thanks to that, this year's strawberry crop, his family is estimated to earn billions of dong, "pocketing" a net profit of over 400 million dong. He continues to expand consumption output by promoting and selling strawberries on social networks such as Facebook, Zalo through his personal page and his family's.
Like Mr. Khong, to improve the quality of Son La strawberries, many private gardens, small farms and cooperatives in Co Noi commune, Mai Son district have boldly applied high-tech strawberry growing models: greenhouses, hydroponics, drip irrigation... forming specialized areas with the participation of hundreds of households.
Mai Son, Son La strawberries are popular in the market, consumed in many large supermarkets in provinces and cities. In February 2025, Son La strawberries "took off" with Vietnam Airlines, serving customers on domestic and international flights.
Source: https://danviet.vn/mot-xa-o-son-la-trong-la-liet-dau-tay-thu-qua-giau-vitamin-c-cha-thay-ban-le-vay-da-ban-di-dau-20250306160056881.htm
Comment (0)