Society

Nghe An: The arduous job of picking sour river fruits.

Huy Thu • June 8, 2025 07:42

The fruit-picking season lasts from May to July. Although climbing trees to pick fruit in the hot sun is hard and tiring, it provides the locals with additional income.

bna_1(1).jpg — These days, people in the communes of Thanh My, Cat Van, Hanh Lam, Thanh Duc, Phong Thinh... in Thanh Chuong district are in the midst of harvesting sour river fruit. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_2(1).jpg — According to locals, this year's riverside harvest is better than last year, with abundant and large fruits. Riverside trees typically bear fruit in multiple cycles, so harvesting usually takes a long time. Each time they climb the tree, they only select mature, ripe fruits to pick. Photo: Huy Thư

bna_3(1).jpg — During the river season, people who work as fruit pickers in Thanh My, Cat Van communes, etc., usually go in groups of 2-4 people. Each group typically has someone climbing to pick the fruit, someone picking it up, and someone transporting it. If they pick diligently, a group can harvest 700 kg to 1 ton of fruit per day. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_4(1).jpg — Harvesting sour river fruit is quite arduous because the trees are tall and have wide canopies; only the bravest pursue this profession. After climbing the tree, fruit pickers usually use a long pole with a cloth net attached to the end to pull the fruit out. Picking river fruit with a net has the advantage of being quick and preventing the fruit from being crushed... Although they climb tall trees and constantly move between branches, the fruit pickers are quite careless; none of them seem to wear safety harnesses to prevent accidents. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5(1).jpg — Duong Ngoc Cuong, a young man who works as a river fruit picker in Tam Dong commune (Thanh Chuong district), said: "When the river fruit season comes, those who buy river fruit and also work as river fruit pickers usually buy entire orchards of young fruit before harvesting them. On average, each group of river fruit pickers usually buys 50-100 river fruit trees and harvests continuously from one tree to the next." (Photo: Huy Thu)

bna_6(1).jpg — According to Mr. Duong Ngoc Thuy, a veteran of river harvesting in Thanh My commune (Thanh Chuong district), his group has been harvesting for 20 days this season. Each season, his family harvests about 50-60 tons of fruit. Since acquiring a pickup truck, river harvesting and trading have become more convenient. After each harvest, his son can drive the truck to transport the fruit to Dien Chau for sale. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_7..jpg — The river fruit looks quite similar to a guava. When ripe, a slight touch will cause the flesh to split into many pieces as if it had been cut. The flesh of the river fruit has a sweet and sour taste, similar to mangosteen. The sour taste of the river fruit flesh is used as a spice, in sour soups, and can be preserved in sugar or honey to make a refreshing and healthy drink... Photo: Huy Thu

bna_8(1).jpg — The river mangosteen tree, belonging to the mangosteen family, is a perennial woody plant that grows naturally in forests or is cultivated in gardens. It is a native, purebred tree, yielding between 300 kg and 1.4 tons of fruit per tree. In areas with many rivers in Thanh Chuong, some households have only a few trees, while others have dozens. For households with few river mangosteen trees, those who climb the river to buy the fruit usually pick it, weigh it, and then calculate the price. (Photo: Huy Thu)

bna_9(1).jpg — Previously, the wild-growing river fruit tree would drop its fruit all over gardens and forests, and no one would take it for free. Gradually, it has become a specialty crop that brings income to many households in mountainous areas. The river fruit weighs from 0.3 to 1.2 kg. When harvesting, people usually carefully arrange the fruit in styrofoam boxes or pack it in bags for transportation. Each worker hired to pick and collect the river fruit usually earns several hundred thousand dong per day. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_10(1).jpg — Fresh river fruit at the beginning of the season is being bought locally by traders from Dien Chau at around 6,000 VND/kg, about 1,000 VND/kg higher than last year. During this hot weather, river fruit is fetching good prices and selling fast; groups specializing in harvesting river fruit can't keep up with demand. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_11(1).jpg — Many families who grow or harvest the fruit of the river tree often slice the fruit and dry it in the sun. On average, 10 kg of fresh river fruit yields 1 kg of dried river fruit. The price of dried river fruit ranges from 50,000 to 60,000 VND/kg. According to local people, sliced dried river fruit from Thanh Chuong is often transported to Hanoi and Hai Phong for consumption. Photo: Huy Thu

People in Tam Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district, harvest river fruits. Video: Huy Thu

Huy Thu