Dong leaves in the highlands increase in price before Lunar New Year

People bring dong leaves to a purchasing point in Dong Van commune, Que Phong district. Photo: Huu Vi

In Dong Van commune, Que Phong district, the last days of the middle of the 12th lunar month are also the time when dong leaves enter the Tet season. Mr. Ha Van Duc in Xop Chao village has currently stockpiled hundreds of thousands of dong leaves to prepare for sale for Tet, saying: these dong leaves are mainly brought back to wholesale at markets in Vinh city, Hung Nguyen. Around the 20th of the 12th lunar month, Mr. Duc started importing the first shipment, about a week later than previous years.

In addition to Mr. Duc, in Xop Chao village, there are also a number of other families who specialize in purchasing dong leaves. Ms. Ngoc Lan, another dong leaf buyer, said that the leaf season depends on lowland buyers. Only when customers call to order do they hire people to go to the forest to pick. "This year the price of dong leaves is higher than previous years," Ms. Lan revealed.

Ms. Ha Thi Van - a dong leaf picker in Muong Hinh village (Dong Van) said: The price of dong leaves purchased by traders in the village is about 200 - 300 VND/leaf, depending on the quality of the goods. This price has increased by 50 - 100 VND compared to last year. However, when passing through the hands of traders in Xop Chao village, they have doubled the price. Each bundle of dong leaves including 20 leaves costs 10,000 VND. Dong leaf buyers said that they are currently selling at 500 VND/leaf to their customers in the lowlands.

Women in Huu Khuong commune (Tuong Duong) consider picking dong leaves for Tet as a job to earn extra income at the end of the year. Photo: Ho Phuong

In Tuong Duong district, the price of dong leaves has also increased sharply. In Xop Nam village, Tam Hop commune, these days, people have also begun to buy dong leaves. Ms. Luong Thi Thuy, a local resident, said: The price of dong leaves this year is about 250 VND/leaf. At the beginning of 2018, it was only about 100 - 120 VND/leaf. "The price is so high, but buyers still find it difficult to find because now dong leaves in the forest are also scarce for many reasons such as natural wood exploitation or previously due to deforestation for farming... so the output has decreased. The price of dong leaves has also continuously increased because of that."

Dong leaves at a purchasing point in Chieu Luu commune, Ky Son district. Photo: Ho Phuong

Mr. Luong Van Dung, a person who collects wild dong leaves in the middle of Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir (Tuong Duong) said: After harvesting dong leaves on Tet holiday, the tree must be cut close to the root. That way, the tree will sprout next year and produce more leaves in the following season. Harvesting dong leaves is becoming more and more difficult because you have to go far to get them. That is also the reason why supply cannot meet demand and makes the price of dong leaves increase.

Currently, the highland markets do not sell dong leaves. These items only appear around the 23rd - 27th of the 12th lunar month, which is also the time when the highland markets are bustling with buyers and sellers.

Dong leaves - an important ingredient used to wrap Chung cakes during the traditional Tet holiday. Photo: Huu Vi

Dong leaves are plants that prefer to grow under the canopy of old forests with high humidity, and branch strongly. Each year, a plant can produce dozens of branches, each branch can yield 6-7 leaves. Dong leaves can be harvested all year round, the leaves grow for about 2 months and can be cut. There are 2 types of Dong leaves, hairy Dong or also known as young Dong leaves, and sticky Dong has both sides smooth so people often use them to wrap cakes.

Dong leaves are essential and almost indispensable when wrapping banh chung, contributing significantly to the main flavor of the banh chung displayed on the ancestral altar during the Lunar New Year./.