As prolonged heat persists with outdoor temperatures occasionally exceeding 40°C, many lychee growers in the lychee capital of Phuc Hoa (Bac Ninh) are waking up as early as 3:00 AM to harvest beautiful, high-quality fruits that command top prices.

These days, the increasing number of intense sunny hours has brought severe heatwaves, impacting several localities, including the lychee capital of Bac Ninh. Additionally, foehn winds across the Northern region have contributed to driving temperatures upward.

To escape the blazing sun, many farmers in Phuc Hoa Commune (Bac Ninh) start harvesting lychees around 3:00–4:00 AM. By 6:00 AM, the sun is already beating down intensely, forcing locals to accelerate their harvesting speed and settle for bringing a few baskets of lychees home early for primary processing.

Dressed in a heat-protective jacket equipped with two small "air-conditioning" fans at the waist, the family of Mr. Tran Van Dinh from Lan Thinh Village, Phuc Hoa Commune, quickly snaps off each lychee cluster. "We have to take advantage of the cool early morning to pick them so the fruits maintain a beautiful color," Mr. Dinh said.

According to Mr. Dinh, in recent years, his family has received technical training support from officials, allowing them to comply strictly with VietGAP production standards. This includes utilizing biological plant protection chemicals correctly and keeping rigorous logbooks of orchard visits. These practices aim to ensure traceability, guarantee food safety, and build a green, clean brand for Phuc Hoa lychees.

"Currently, lychee prices in many places hover around 30,000–35,000 VND/kg, but my family's lychees still command a high price of about 40,000 VND/kg because they are visually appealing, sweet, and uniform," he said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha from Quoc Du 2 Village, Phuc Hoa Commune, shared that due to adverse weather impacts, this year's output dropped to only half of what it was in previous years.

However, because hers is an export-oriented lychee orchard and the time for harvest has arrived, her family has hired extra workers to support picking, processing, and transportation. "Caring for the trees this year was significantly harder. Any household that didn't invest meticulously practically suffered a total loss," Ms. Ha noted.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online, Mr. Nguyen Bien Thuy—Vice Chairman of the Phuc Hoa Commune People's Committee (Bac Ninh)—stated that the intense heat in recent days has partially affected the appearance of the lychees (causing skin sunscald), particularly in several late-harvest orchards.

The Commune People's Committee has directed residents to mitigate these extreme weather impacts by harvesting early to deliver the fruits promptly to procurement hubs.

The commune will also support cooperatives and export enterprises purchasing lychees to ensure all standard procedures are met—running from primary processing and packaging through to preservation—until the goods reach their destination import markets.

To date, the harvested output in Phuc Hoa has reached approximately 6,000 tons, with about 60% of the volume consumed domestically, heavily concentrated in major markets such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Dong Nai.

The total projected output for the entire 2026 crop season here stands at around 7,500 tons (with domestic consumption accounting for roughly 4,500 tons and exports making up around 3,000 tons). The average selling price ranges between 30,000 and 45,000 VND/kg, while the export selling price remains stable at 37,000 VND/kg.

Source: Tuoi Tre Online