The family of Trinh Viet Cuong in Khen residential area, Co Do ward owns nearly 8 hectares of plums, and since 2023, he has invested over 100 million VND (3,900 USD) in a drip irrigation system on more than 4 hectares of his plum trees. He has also carefully timed the pruning and fertilisation to ensure the plums bear fruit out of season.

Taking us through the orchard, where both flowers and ripe fruits are visible on the trees, Cuong shared: "Growing plums to produce off-season flowers and fruits requires patience and advanced techniques. When starting to grow off-season plums, we must assess whether the plum trees are old enough and in the right condition to bloom and fruit early. During the care process, it's crucial to provide enough organic nutrients, control pests, and apply fertilisers to encourage early fruiting."

Thanks to the application of technical measures, his family can harvest off-season plums from November until May of the following year. The average price of off-season plums is 60,000 VND per kilogramme, which is three times higher than that of the main-season plums.

Not only Cuong’s family but also many other farming households in Co Do ward, Tan Yen and Chieng Hac communes, and other areas have switched to growing off-season plums. Additionally, these households have developed tourism by inviting visitors to experience plum picking and enjoy fresh plums right in the orchard, increasing their income.

Nguyen Thi Hong, a tourist from Hai Duong city, said: "We were quite surprised because right after the Moc Chau plum flowers bloomed, many orchards already had ripe fruits ready for tourists to pick. While the fruits are not as large as the main-season plums, they are juicy, crunchy, and have a sweet-and-sour taste. After experiencing the orchard and tasting the plums, I bought some to bring home as gifts for my family."

Thanks to the application of scientific techniques, the quality of off-season plums in Moc Chau has been continuously improved. While the off-season plum production is not as high as the main-season harvest, they are always in demand by traders, who purchase them directly from the orchards at high prices, ranging from 60,000 to 120,000 VND per kilogramme, depending on the size of the fruit.

Le Manh Tuong, a trader from Hung Yen province, shared: "After Tet, we visit orchards to buy plums. Early off-season plums are smaller and have a sour taste, but they sell out as soon as they arrive. Currently, I purchase about 500 kilogrammes of plums per day."

 Households invest in automatic irrigation systems for their plum orchards.

xWith nearly 3,500 hectares, Moc Chau is the district with the largest area of off-season plums in the province. To ensure stable sales, the township has directed specialised departments to collaborate with communes and wards to guide farmers on how to plant and care for off-season plum trees to achieve high yields and quality.

According to Nguyen Thi Hoa, Director of the Moc Chau Township Agricultural Technical Centre, thanks to the favourable climate and soil conditions, along with the guidance and support from local authorities, more and more cooperatives and farming households have invested in irrigation systems, applied advanced technologies, and employed techniques to create early fruiting of off-season plums. Through methods such as pruning, proper fertilization, and water management, many plum farmers have successfully extended the harvest season, from November to the main harvest.

Through their hard work and years of experience, plum farmers in Moc Chau have succeeded in producing off-season plums, easing the pressure of oversupply during the main harvest and avoiding the "bumper crop, low price" situation. As a result, farmers have seen increased income, and more tourists have come to the Moc Chau National Tourism Area.