Hai Duong and Bac Giang provinces are the two leading areas for lychee production.

Tran Van Quan, vice chairman of Hai Duong province, said the province aimed to make Vietnamese lychee a global name thanks to its world-class quality.

Quan said Hai Duong had over 9,000 hectares of lychees, producing 60,000 tons per year. About 50 percent are consumed domestically, 40 percent exported to traditional markets and 10 percent to high-end markets.

The province is home to Thanh Ha lychee, a variety that has made a name for itself in many demanding markets. The fruit has been granted a Protected Geographical Indication Certificate (PGIC) in Vietnam, as one of the Top 10 producers of prestige, honored as a quintessence of Vietnamese local specialties.

“Our local lychees are grown in accordance with VietGAP [Good Agricultural Practices] and GlobalGAP standards. Remarkably, 189 planting area codes [PAC] have been granted to many localities with a total granted area of 1,200 hectares”, he said.

The deputy director also said the province would focus on expanding export-only lychee-growing areas to add more value to the fruit and meet the growing demand of foreign markets.

Phan The Tuan, vice chairman of Bac Giang province, underscored Bac Giang as the province with largest lychee-growing area, with over 28,000 hectares. Bac Giang’s lychees are the first Vietnamese product to be granted PGIC in Japan and are eligible for trademark protection in eight countries.

“Bac Giang has 15,400 hectares of VietGAP lychees, equivalent to an annual output of 125,000 tons, and 102 hectares of GlobalGAP lychees, equivalent to over 1,000 tons”, he said.

Tuan also noted that lychees from 18 PAC-granted areas of 218 hectares were gaining ground in the United States and the European Union, and 35 PAC-granted areas of 269 hectares in Japan. So far, Bac Giang’s lychees have been made commercially available in over 30 countries.

He said the province will continue to boost lychee exports to high-end markets and try to gain entry into new markets, including Canada and Thailand.

Nguyen Duc Hung, manager of the Toan Cau Company, admitted that Vietnamese lychees were facing difficulties in reaching far-flung markets because the fruits cannot be kept fresh for long.

"Fresh lychees can be preserved for 40 days at most, so the fruits cannot travel long distances to far-flung markets," he said.

Accordingly, he recommended that Vietnamese producers develop new lychee-derived products that can last for a longer period of time so that the fruit can reach global customers.

He also suggested lychees be transported via railway to the EU to cut costs and avoid delays in shipment, which has been an issue in sea shipping.

Saadi Salama, Palestinian ambassador to Vietnam, stressed that products on sale in the Middle East normally had Halal marks on their packages, indicating that the products met Halal standards.

He hoped that more Vietnamese lychee-derived products were Halal-labeled to expand its footprint in the market, allowing the fruits to be enjoyed by more foreign consumers.

"I visited many Vietnamese exhibition booths today. All booths were well-organized with many eye-catching lychee products. Unfortunately, no products had been Halal-labeled. I hope that they obtain the mark soon," he said.

George Burchett, an Australian journalist, described Vietnamese lychees as fruit from heaven due to their beautiful taste, though Vietnamese lychees are much more expensive in Australia than in Vietnam due to high logistics costs.

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