WELL-KNOWN ON FOREIGN LAND

In the year of 1998, the people in Baria-Vungtau have just known this land owning a kind of high-precious varieties. At the festival of competition “Delicious Fruit” in 1998 which was organized by Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI), the ardent sweet-tasting and fascinating aroma of “Baria-Vungtau Longan xuong com vang” have fully conquered prissy examiners. “Baria-Vungtau Longan Xuong com vang” has overcome many other well-known special fruit in order to win the highest prize in the competition.

After sucessful “conquest” in the competition, the reputation of “Baria-Vungtau Longan xuong com vang” has been raised in Western provinces. “Many of Western people have found its value and they have immediately bought seedlings with high price”, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vinh, an engineer in Agriculture and Aquaculture Promotion Center said, “Longan xuong com vang” has given longan planters in Ward 11, Vungtau City more money by buying seedlings.

After a few years, “Longan xuong com vang” planted in the West has affirmed its value, when it is in luxurious supermarkets and other places in provinces and cities with its price is three times higher  compared with ordinary longans. Meanwhile, in Baria-Vungtau many longan planters are full of hardships with cowhide longan (a kind of longan: longan tieu da bo, high yield, small seed, dry, thick and sweet flesh, year around) which has dropped its price mournfully. “That is a mistake of our people”, Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, Vice Chaiman of the Provincial Farmers Association said.

LUSCIOUS ON THE NATIVE COUNTRY

However, “Longan xuong com vang planted on seacoastal sandy soil area of Baria-Vungtau Province has different sweet tasting and aroma, cannot be in a jumble!” – Mr. Dao Van Hieu, the Head of Nhan Tam Cooperative, Xuyen Moc District, the person who “leads the way” Baria-Vungtau Longan xuong com vang into the supermarkets, summarized.

So far, relying on the surpassing advantages of quality, this kind of fruit has gradually occupied market share in large supermarkets such as: Coopmart Vungtau and Hochiminh City. Mr. Hieu told, although in supermarkets the price of “Longan xuong com vang” planted in Baria-Vungtau is always higher than “Longan xuong com vang” planted in other provinces (from 5,000 – 7,000 dong/kg) but customers “have been addicted” to “Longan xuong com vang” of Baria-Vungtau than the others. “Our next target is to penetrate Metro Supermarket in order to increase its value and output consumption” – Mr. Hieu affirmed confidently.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vinh told, the reason “Longan xuong com vang” of Baria-Vungtau has better quality than others it was because, apart from experience of “handed down from generation to generation” care of longan planters, this sandy soil area is abundant in potassium and other microelements… That is an important factor making “Longan xuong com vang” of Baria-Vungtau tasty, sweet, having very specific yellow, brix pulp of fruit (20.1-22.2%), proportion of pulp of fruit (61.1-62.4%) surpassing higher than Longan xuong com vang planted in other places. 

WILL BECOME A FAMOUS TRADE NAME?

Nowadays, “Longan xuong com vang” of Baria-Vungtau has been well-known in the nations of the area, especially Thailand. NXCV planters in Baria-Vungtau feel somewhat secure because “Longan xuong com vang” has had its trade name. On the day of September 15th 2006, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam, Ministry of Science and Technology issued the Registered Certificate of Trademark for “Longan xuong com vang of Baria-Vungtau”. This is a reason for conserving, maintaining and developing this precious variety in Baria-Vungtau. 

There is more good news for Baria-Vungtau “Longan xuong com vang” planters, in the future there will be a planning area for planting “Longan xuong com vang” in Baria-Vungtau Province. Mr. Bui Phat Minh, Manager of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Developing told: Now, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Developing has requested a policy of the Provincial People’s Committee to put into planning 2,000 ha of seacoastal sandy soil areas in Vungtau City, Tan Thanh District and Xuyen Moc District in order to plant “Longan xuong com vang”. In addition, South-East Fruit Research Center (SEFRC) has coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology to carry out the theme “Constructing a production process “Longan xuong com vang” in accordance with GAP”. When this theme is succesful, it will be transferred to agriculture industry which multiplies for “Longan xuong com vang” planters in the provincial area, in order to have an unshakeable and high quality raw material production area, meeting the export standards to fastidious markets.