Pomelo is among the most sought-after fruits during Tet celebrations. Anticipating the high demand, farmers in Yen Chau district are devoting their efforts to cultivating and nurturing their pomelo trees to ensure a steady supply for the market.

In Thong Phien hamlet, Chieng Pan commune, Dao Xuan Dung’s family has nearly one hectare of Dien pomelo under cultivation. After a year of meticulous care, their pomelos have ripened to a vibrant golden yellow, ready for harvest. To prepare for the Tet season, Dung began pruning branches right in July, carefully fertilizing and irrigating the trees at each growth stage to ensure timely flowering and fruiting.

Once the trees started bearing fruits, he selected only the finest pomelos, reducing the overall number of fruits per tree to focus resources on quality. By applying specialised fertilizers during the fruit-nurturing phase, Dung ensured the pomelos reached optimal size and sweetness. To combat pests and diseases, his family employed eco-friendly practices such as bagging the fruit and using biological insect repellents. These methods not only produced visually appealing pomelos, earning the trust of traders who placed orders in advance.

Dung said his family is currently harvesting smaller fruits, selling grade-one pomelos for 12,000–15,000 VND (0.47–0.59 USD) per kilogramme and grade-two for 8,000–10,000 VND. He added that the larger, premium-grade pomelos will be harvested closer to Tet, around the 18th day of the last lunar month. With each fruit weighing between 1.2 and 1.5 kg, his family expects to harvest nearly 6 tonnes of pomelo, generating estimated revenue of around 90 million VND (3,544 USD).

Strawberry is also among the most popular fruits in the days leading up to the festival. Aware of this, Nguyen Thi Tham from Yen Thi hamlet, Long Phieng commune, adjusted her planting schedule from early September to mid-December, allowing her family to extend the harvest through the end of April.

Tham said this year, her family has invested in three hectares of strawberries, installing moisture-regulating irrigation systems and using plastic mulch to retain soil moisture. They also applied organic fertilizers and followed the “four rights” principle for pesticide use to ensure the strawberries are clean, flavorful, and safe for consumers.

Currently, the family harvests around 100 kilograms of strawberries daily, selling them for an average of 150,000–170,000 VND per kilogram. Tham expects the peak harvest period to coincide with the Tet season, yielding 9–10 tonnes of fruit and generating an estimated income of 500 million VND.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, the demand for fruits typically rises 20–30%, with prices increasing by 10–20% depending on the variety. Proper technical care ensures high-quality produce for the market, boosting productivity, and offering significant economic benefits for farmers.

Vu Hai Yen, deputy head of the district Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, said caring for fruit trees to meet Tet market demand presents an opportunity for farmers to increase their income. In addition to farmers' proactive efforts, the department also focuses on transferring advanced scientific and technical solutions to help them improve production. It also introduces crop protection measures during adverse weather conditions to ensure both yield and fruit quality, while promoting consumption links and ensuring food safety for the year-end market.

The demand for high-quality, visually appealing fruits during Tet is substantial, requiring farmers to carefully manage and nurture their crops. In return, they have the opportunity to sell them at higher prices, especially in the final months of the year, when prices for many fruits are expected to rise steadily. This trend provides a positive outlook, encouraging farmers to focus on production in the upcoming seasons.