Tourists enjoy lychees in Lục Ngạn District. VNA/VNS Photo Đồng Thúy 

The 2025 lychee season is now entering its harvest phase, with an anticipated yield of approximately 303,000 tonnes, an increase of 30 per cent from 2024.

To ease consumption pressure and enhance the value of lychees, agricultural and environmental authorities, along with local administrations, have taken measures to improve quality and expand market access, particularly for exports.

Tourists visit a lychee booth in Bắc Giang Province. VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Bắc Giang continues to lead the nation in lychee production, with an output of 165,000 tonnes. Following Bắc Giang in the north are Hải Dương with 60,000 tonnes, and both Hưng Yên and Lạng Sơn, contributing 22,000 tonnes each. Đắk Lắk in the Central Highlands adds approximately 21,000 tonnes.

The harvest occurs in two main stages: early lychees from May 20 to June 10, and the main crop from June 10 to July 25. Localities have proactively prepared for harvesting, preliminary processing and transport to ensure better sales. Efforts to register and monitor growing area codes and packaging facilities for export have also been completed.

Currently, there are around 470 growing area codes covering nearly 19,400ha, along with 55 packaging facility codes for markets including China, Australia, the US, Japan, Thailand, and France.

In Bắc Giang, over 240 growing area codes have been approved for export, encompassing over 17,400ha. This region boasts more than 16,000ha of lychees adhering to VietGAP standards, 204ha of GlobalGAP-certified lychees, and 10ha of organic production.

Lychees are not only grown in Bắc Giang, but also widely in neighbouring Hải Dương. In 2025, the Thanh Hà lychee yield of Hải Dương will reach about 38,000 tonnes. VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Minh 

Bùi Quang Huy, director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Bắc Giang, said that local farmers receive training on tree care, pesticide use and the gradual increase in organic fertilisers to meet the stringent requirements of high-end markets like Australia, Japan, the US, and the EU.

Hải Dương also has 12 growing areas certified by GlobalGAP and 56 areas certified by VietGAP, covering around 720ha. The province has been granted nearly 200 growing area codes and 16 export lychee packing facility codes.

Lục Ngạn District has the largest lychee growing area in Bắc Giang Province at more than 15,000ha, with an estimated yield of 85,600 tonnes per year. VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh 

The first fresh lychees from the 2025 crop have arrived in the French market, signalling a new opportunity for Việt Nam’s agricultural export as it seeks to penetrate demanding markets.

From the lush gardens in Bắc Giang and Hải Dương to supermarket shelves in France and other European countries, Vietnamese lychees are forging an export story marked by quality and national pride. While the journey to European consumers comes with challenges related to quality and safety standards, positive signals from the French and other EU markets promise a bright future. VNS

Farmers collect lychees in Hùng Long Commune of Phú Thọ Province. This variety has been granted a certificate of protection by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam. VNA/VNS Photo Tạ Toàn

Lychees planted in Đắk Nông Province have begun to ripen. This year, lychee gardens in the province have good harvest as well as high prices. VNA/VNS Photo Hưng Thịnh

Ripe lychees in Lục Ngạn of Bắc Giang are prepared for heat pump drying for export.  VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

People in Tân Yên District of Bắc Giang Province harvest lychees. Revenues are hitting record highs, bringing joy to growers. VNA/VNS Photo Đồng Thúy