Hung Yen longan promoted among int'l diplomatic corps, industry associations

Foreign diplomatic corps and industry associations visit a longan farm in Hung Yen on August 2. (Photo: VNA)

Hung Yen (VNA) – Diplomatic corps and industryassociations from more than 20 countries visited Hung Yen on August 22 for an experientialevent and friendly gathering hosted by local authorities to promote thenorthern province’s culture and signature fruit – longan.

Joining the trip was a delegation of the Ministry ofForeign Affairs and ambassadors from Palestine, Uruguay, Laos, Chile,Venezuela, South Africa, Cambodia, Myanmar, Italy, Algeria, the United States,the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Colombia and Turkey.

Addressing the event, Assistant Foreign Minister Nguyen MinhVu said following the success of the province’s previous trade, investment andtourism promotion events, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs partnerswith Hung Yen City, the provincial capital, to organise this gathering at thetime the province is entering the peak longan harvest season.

The international guests have a taste of longan as they tour several farms in Hong Nam commune, Hung Yen. (Photo: VNA)

Vu highly spoke of the city’s initiative to host the event,saying it will help the Hung Yen popularise its culture, destinations, people andsignature farm produce among international guests. It will also enable the cityto build its brand and identity and make longan the province’s key export itemin both regional and global markets, he added.

On behalf of the diplomatic corps, Ambassador of Palestineto Vietnam Saadi Salama said he is honoured to visit Hung Yen and come to know itsrenown longan products. Through the visit, visitors get to explore and knowbetter about the city’s land and people, given that it is a young and developingcity close to Hanoi with great promise, he noted.

The ambassador further said that the city of Hung Yen haswithin itself traditional cultural elements as well as the dynamics, modernity andfriendliness of a metropolis. With the famously delicious specialty fruit, HungYen has left great and unforgettable impression on international guests,according to Salama.

The foreign guests later took a tour around longan farms inHong Nam commune where there are many centuries-old longan trees used toproduce offerings to kings. The commune is now home to nearly 150 hectares oflongan grown under the Vietnam Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) whichgenerates more than 2,000 tonnes of fresh longan annually. Several farms herehave been granted with Production Unit Code (PUC) for export to the US.

Diplomatic corps and industry associations meet with local authorities. (Photo: VNA)

Secretary of the Hung Yen City Party’s Committee Pham HuyBinh briefed the guests on the city’s competitive edges and social, economic andcultural development in the past and today. The city grows more than 1,000hectares of longan, including 430 hectares cultivated under VietGAP, with totalannual output of over 13,000 tonnes.

He expected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and theinternational guests will act as a bridge for the city and the province atlarge to access new opportunities for cooperation with foreign localities,organisations and enterprises in the coming time.

Longan is a tropical fruit which is rich in nutrients. Thereare many varieties of longan nationwide but Hung Yen’s “long” longan, known asthe fruit of the kings, is the most famous for its thick pulp and very sweettaste.

The northern province is home to about 4,800 hectares of longan, ofwhich more than 1,300 hectares have met VietGAP standards, mostly distributedin Hung Yen city, Khoai Chau, Kim Dong, Tien Lu, Phu Cu and An Thi districts. Totallongan output is over 40,000 tonnes per year. Last year, Hung Yen longan madedebut on a number of e-commerce platforms, such as sendo.vn and postmart.vn.

Last year, Vietnam exported over 117,500 tonnes of longan,including over 11,000 tonnes of fresh product. Vietnam fresh longan iscurrently sold in 17 countries and territories worldwide./.

VNA