Safe farm produce from Bac Ninh makes inroads into global markets

Updated: 16:37, 04/08/2025

BAC NINH – Bac Ninh province is reaping the benefits of a shift towards safe, high-quality agriculture with local farm produce increasingly making its way from village fields to domestic supermarkets and international markets. Backed by advanced cultivation methods and strict safety standards, the province’s agricultural products are gaining wider recognition and contributing to the national brand of Vietnamese farm goods.

Lychees lead the way

The latest lychee season has concluded and farmers are preparing for the next crop. In Phuong Son ward, grower Le Van Kien prunes trees and fertilizes to help them recover.

Lychees are processed at Vifoco Import-Export JSC.

“The lychee prices weren’t as high this year, but the growers following GlobalGAP standards still got better rates than others with traditional cultivation method,” he said.

Kien carefully tracks each stage of production, adjusting fertilizer use to suit growth phases and prioritizing organic or microbial inputs. For pest control, he uses bio-based pesticides with proper timing and dosage. All steps are logged in production record, enabling traceability from orchard to market.

As a result, Kien’s lychees are regularly sourced by supermarkets and have been exported to Europe and Japan.

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the 2025 lychee crop was abundant. The province diversified its marketing channels this year, supplying not just domestic retail and industrial zones but also overseas markets with stringent quality requirements.

About 63,000 tonnes of lychees were shipped to China, Europe, the US, Japan, Canada, Australia and the Middle East. Notably, in early July, Bac Ninh lychees debuted at Costco—the largest retail chain in the US. The fruit, shipped by sea, remained fresh and met strict import requirements.

Trinh Minh Phuong, External Relations Director at Mova Plus, a fruit distributor, said Bac Ninh’s lychees are popular in Europe due to their taste and consistent quality.

“The EU is one of the world’s largest agricultural importers, offering golden opportunities for Vietnam’s key products,” he said.

Gaining entry into such premium markets has validated the province’s emphasis on safe production. Today, Bac Ninh lychees are exported to more than 30 countries and territories.

Building a national brand

Lychees are sold at a shop in Germany.

The rise of lychees as a global commodity has helped solidify the reputation of Vietnamese agriculture. The Luc Ngan lychee is now Bac Ninh’s only five-star OCOP (One Commune, One Product) item, a distinction earned through years of effort by local farmers and authorities.

According to Le Ba Thanh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, long before its recent administrative merger, Bac Giang province focused on developing concentrated lychee-growing zones using advanced cultivation techniques. This laid the foundation for Bac Ninh’s success.

Companies are also driving innovation. Vifoco Import-Export JSC recently developed a method to preserve lychees up to one year while retaining freshness. This breakthrough opens new doors for year-round exports and processing.

Despite fluctuations in prices during peak harvests, Bac Ninh remains committed to quality. Authorities enforce strict safety protocols, and thousands of farmers—like Kien—now adhere to GlobalGAP and VietGAP standards. These changes reflect a broader shift in mindset toward sustainability.

Today, the lychee symbolizes the province’s agricultural transformation, blending natural conditions with human effort to elevate Vietnam’s global agricultural presence.

OCOP products gain ground

Fujiko Vietnam Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd., based in Vo Cuong ward, has earned a 4-star OCOP rating for its turmeric starch product.

Beyond lychees, Bac Ninh is home to a wide range of local specialties: Yen The hill chicken, Ven village tea, Hoang Luong water dropwort, Luc Ngan citrus, Luc Nam custard apples, glutinous rice from Yen Phu, Phi Dien and Thai Son and Danh mountain ginseng among others.

These items, certified under the OCOP programme, highlight local strengths and meet standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP and HACCP. Several are now exported directly to international markets. White radishes and carrots from Cao Duc commune and agricultural cakes from Binh Minh Cooperative have gone to South Korea, while Global Food Import-Export JSC supplies various products to Europe. Vinegar products from Ngan Giang Co., Ltd. are shipped to China and the Czech Republic.

Bac Ninh currently boasts nearly 800 OCOP-certified products rated three stars or higher, making it a leading province for the programme.

Local officials attribute this success to supportive policies alongside producer initiative. Incentives include financial rewards of 20 million VND for three-star products, 30 million for four-star, and 100 million for five-star items. Additional support of up to 500 million VND is available from product design to certification.

Retail points in industrial zones, tourist areas and highway rest stops are also eligible for support. The provincial Department of Industry and Trade is helping link OCOP products to modern retail chains and is working with overseas trade offices to diversify export markets.

With these efforts, Bac Ninh has mobilized investment, improved access to technical expertise, and expanded its agricultural footprint. As domestic and global markets demand higher quality and transparency, local producers are turning to more professional and science-based farming practices.

From traditional village markets, Bac Ninh’s agricultural products are now making their way into homes and businesses across Vietnam—and around the world.

Reporters