Chinese chestnuts labeled as Sapa flood into Vietnam

At the end of the year, especially near Tet, chestnuts are quite popular. Because of their popularity, a large amount of chestnuts from China quickly flooded into Vietnam, dominating the market and being labeled with many different labels.

Ms. Hang, a vendor on Pham Van Chieu Street (Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she gets her chestnuts from Lang Son. Each time she imports about 300 kg of raw chestnuts at a price of 45,000-50,000 VND/kg (excluding shipping costs). Therefore, she sells them at 80,000 VND/kg. The origin is unclear, but she said that the wholesaler said they were Sapa goods.

Also importing tons to sell, Ms. Loan at An Binh market (District 5) said that this year, there are more Chinese chestnuts than usual. Most sellers label them as Thai for easy selling.

She usually sells wholesale for 55,000 VND/kg, and retail for 80,000 - 120,000 VND, depending on the time. "This Tet, I plan to import 2 more tons because customer demand has increased. Most of these goods are taken from Long Bien wholesale market (Hanoi) and sent to Saigon by truck," Loan said.

As a wholesaler of chestnuts in Lang Son, Mr. Hoa has just imported about 20 tons to distribute to wholesale customers in the North and South. This year, the price of chestnuts is lower than in previous years. Mr. Hoa also said that Chinese chestnuts imported to Vietnam account for 80% of the goods because of their cheap price and stable quality.

According to him, the dealers label Sapa and Thailand to increase the selling price, but the quantity of this product is not much. Sapa chestnuts are mostly picked up by people to eat, not sold. As for Thai products, the price is high, so few dealers import them. Meanwhile, Chinese chestnuts have beautiful appearance, are delicious, and have reasonable prices, so buyers like them.

An official from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Sapa District also had a similar opinion. Sapa chestnuts are usually only available in early winter and late fall, around October and November the chestnuts ripen and fall. Therefore, according to this person, there are no more chestnuts to sell in bulk.

Chinese chestnuts are large, round, thin-shelled, shiny and hairless. When boiled, they have a light aroma. Although not considered as delicious as Sapa chestnuts, they are attractively priced and easy to sell.

In addition to being sold widely on the streets and markets, chestnuts are also advertised on social networking sites with common prices ranging from 50,000 - 120,000 VND/kg. Most of them do not have a clear origin.

Hong Chau