The captivating season of three-flowered plum blossoms at the "gateway to heaven" in Nghe An province.

The plum capital of Nghe An province.

Following in the footsteps of the locals, we entered the plum orchard of Mr. Ho Chong Po's family in Muong Long commune. Hundreds of plum trees with gnarled, moss-covered trunks were laden with fruit. Mr. Po said that, like every family in the village, this plum orchard was planted nearly 30 years ago, so the tree trunks are sturdy and twice as tall as an adult. Therefore, during harvest season, ladders are needed to climb to the top to pick the fruit.

Every year, when the plums ripen, Mr. Pó's family welcomes visitors to their orchard. This summer, with the first plums ripening, many tourist groups have already arrived. During the recent April 30th and May 1st holidays, the orchard was bustling with visitors, who picked and ate the ripe plums right there. Not only Mr. Pó's family's plum orchard, but other plum orchards in Mường Lống 2 village are also crowded with tourists.

“Previously, our family had over 400 plum trees. Later, when my two children moved out, I gave each of them over 100 trees. Because it’s a suitable crop for the local cool climate and also serves tourists visiting Muong Long, my children all protect the beautiful plum orchard and earn an income. This year, at the beginning of the season, traders bought plums for 30,000 VND/kg, which dropped to 15,000 VND/kg in the middle of the season, but it’s still the crop that provides the highest and most stable income,” Mr. Ho Chong Po shared.

Along the small concrete roads winding through the villages of Muong Long 1 and Muong Long 2, visitors can pick ripe, juicy, and delicious plums directly from the orchards. The feeling of picking plums still covered in bloom and enjoying them is a wonderful and memorable experience. Besides picking plums, visitors can borrow traditional Mong ethnic costumes to take souvenir photos next to the fruit-laden plum trees. After exploring the vast plum orchards, visitors can visit homestays in Muong Long commune to rest and enjoy unique local cuisine.

During the plum ripening season, the entire Muong Long commune becomes more bustling. The local government and people are preparing for the "plum picking festival"; the village management boards are excitedly preparing for the bullfighting festival; and the locals are preparing local specialties to sell to tourists from near and far...

Mr. Va Cha Xa, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Long commune, said: Following the policy of replacing opium poppies with three-flowered plum trees, in 1995 the entire commune planted about 50 hectares of plum trees. At that time, plums were a crop that helped alleviate poverty in the locality. However, at times, plums were difficult to sell, so people cut down some to plant other crops. Therefore, the plum growing area in Muong Long commune is currently about 23 hectares, concentrated in Muong Long 1 and Muong Long 2 villages. Among them, many families have successfully protected and cared for their beautiful plum orchards, bringing quite high economic efficiency.

In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Muong Long has increased significantly, especially during the spring when the plum trees bloom and the summer when the plums ripen. Visitors come to relax and tour the plum orchards, so the commune has encouraged residents to expand the area under plum cultivation to develop tourism. As a result, many households have planted new plum orchards in recent years. The Tam Hoa plums grown in Muong Long commune, with its year-round clean and cool climate, are of high quality and fetch good prices; traders buy up all the produce right from the orchards.

Enjoy the plum picking festival!

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung, Chairman of the Ky Son District People's Committee, said that Tam Hoa plums are a specialty of Ky Son district in general and Muong Long commune in particular. Not only do they supply the market, but the plums also contribute to tourism development as more and more tourists become aware of Ky Son. However, until now, most farmers have let the plum trees grow naturally without investing in care, resulting in low yields and less attractive fruit than expected.

Therefore, the district directs local authorities to disseminate information and guide farmers on how to properly care for plum trees, aiming to increase productivity, bring high economic efficiency, and create beautiful plum orchards as characteristic OCOP products to serve tourists whenever they visit Ky Son district. Currently, plums in Ky Son district are most widely grown in Muong Long commune, and also in Tay Son, Nam Can, and Na Ngoi communes, with a total area of ​​about 40-45 hectares.

At the beginning of summer, plums begin to ripen evenly, and this area has been chosen by Ky Son district to host the "Plum Picking Festival," featuring many attractive activities such as fruit-picking competitions, plum tasting, quizzes, and presentations about plums; as well as traditional sports, folk games, and bullfighting competitions. During the festival, visitors had the opportunity to tour and experience fruit picking alongside the locals and enjoy Tam Hoa plums right in the orchards with hundreds of trees.

The "Plum Harvesting Festival" aims to introduce and promote Ky Son plums, honor plum growers; create opportunities for plum growers to interact, learn, and improve their knowledge and experience in planting and caring for plum trees, creating high-value products from plums, and promoting Ky Son district's specialty products to all parts of the country; and preserve, protect, and promote the value of this special plant and animal species in the district.

This also presents an opportunity to attract investors, creating opportunities for cooperation between plum growers and domestic and foreign businesses to produce and market plum products, contributing to job creation and increased income for plum farmers in Ky Son district. At the same time, it helps preserve and promote the valuable cultural heritage of the ethnic communities in Ky Son district.

Xuan Hoang - Quang An