A unique garden of over 1000 betel nut trees in Yen Thanh.
Despite being nearly 80 years old, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh in Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, remains dedicated to his betel nut garden with over 1,000 trees. Not only does it impress many with its picturesque beauty, but the garden also generates an income of 350 million VND per year.
In Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, there is a special garden that amazes anyone who visits. It is the betel nut garden with over 1,000 trees belonging to Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, who diligently cares for the vast, lush green garden every day, like a painting in the peaceful countryside.
Mr. Vinh's betel nut garden is not only impressive for its poetic beauty, with betel nuts planted in neat rows, each tree lush and laden with fruit, but also for its stable income. Sharing while climbing a betel nut tree to harvest ripe bunches, Mr. Vinh said: "This betel nut garden was established by my family more than 50 years ago. Betel nuts bear fruit all year round, and at the beginning of the year, betel nuts for Tet (Lunar New Year) and the full moon are very expensive. Some bunches can sell for up to 1 million dong. From August onwards is the main harvest season, each bunch yields an average of 4kg of fruit, and a very productive bunch can reach 6kg. Betel nuts are very easy to sell; during holidays and Tet, traders come directly to the farm to buy them."
According to Mr. Vinh, a betel nut harvest can yield multiple crops, and this year, thanks to favorable weather and stable prices, his betel nut garden generates an annual income of approximately 350 million VND, a considerable sum for rural farmers.
Notably, growing betel nut trees is not as strenuous as many other crops. Betel nut trees are rarely affected by pests and diseases, and require almost no pesticides. Each year, he only fertilizes with organic fertilizer a few times and weeds around the base of the trees. Under the betel nut trees, he also utilizes the space to grow betel vines and pepper plants that cling to the trunks, while also raising bees for honey, increasing his income while maintaining the natural ecosystem of the garden.
Besides selling betel nuts, Mr. Vinh also cultivates seedlings to supply to people in the area. Each seedling is sold for 35,000 - 50,000 VND, depending on size and age. Thanks to his reputation in the business, his seedlings are always in demand, not only in Kim Thanh but also in neighboring communes.
He said that betel nut trees are long-lived, bearing fruit for 50-60 years without degenerating. Thanks to this characteristic, betel nut growers save on investment costs and can harvest regularly for many years. "Growing betel nuts doesn't require too much worry, doesn't take up much land, is clean, chemical-free, and suitable for elderly people like me," Mr. Vinh shared.
Thanks to the stable income from betel nut cultivation, Mr. Vinh has built a spacious house and raised his children to be successful adults. Not stopping there, he has also planted more than 1,000 young betel nut trees to gradually replace the old ones.
According to Mr. Phan Tat Mau, Chairman of the Kim Thanh Commune People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh is one of the few households in the locality that cultivates betel nuts on a large scale and is considered a prime example of successful economic development. Currently, Kim Thanh commune has more than 100 households growing betel nuts, but most are intercropped, and there are not many well-planned models like Mr. Vinh's.
Building on his family's success, the local government is encouraging people to expand the area of betel nut cultivation in a concentrated manner, while also researching and developing betel nut products such as dried betel nuts for year-round consumption, increasing their value.
The picturesque betel nut garden not only preserves the memories of generations but also serves as a vivid testament to the diligence, creativity, and determination to prosper on their own homeland.