From Krong Pac commune, Quang Phu, Ea Knuoc (Dak Lak) to Cu cut, Lam Ha (Lam Dong)... the bustling harvest atmosphere signals a bumper crop. The streets are bustling with laughter and the characteristic aroma of the million-dollar fruit momentarily in the air.
Bustling harvest season
Mr. Le Dang Tuan (32 years old, residing in Quang Phu commune, Dak Lak) grew up with such unique durian seasons. Currently, his family has had 1 hectare of durian planted since 2017, and has so far harvested the 5th crop.
Mr. Tuan said that this year, due to the early rain in Dak Lak and the drop in heat, it is favorable for the development of durian. His family's durian garden is expected to yield about 20 tons of fruit, with an estimated revenue of more than 1 billion VND.
To achieve today's results, Mr. Tuan's family - as well as many other farming households in the Central Highlands - have diligently cared for each durian tree. He shared that after each harvest, the farm has to wash the garden, spray mushroom spray, clean up moss and cut off the remaining fruit stumps on the plant. About half a month later, the branch pruning stage came: Eliminate weak branches and sub- branches, only keep healthy branches. Next is fertilization, pulling the shoots to support the branches, helping the plants recover, become healthy and produce more evenly in the next crop.
"About 3 - 4 months later, the tree begins to make cotton and buds. This is the most difficult period because it requires high techniques and depends on the weather. If there is heavy rain and a series of flowers fall, it is considered a bad harvest and must be rebuilt from the beginning. When the plant bears fruit, continue to fertilize and spray pesticides to grow the fruit. Usually, the fruit will not reach harvest standards after about 130 days," said Mr. Tuan.
Planting, caring for and harvesting durian is not always favorable, because the plant is easily affected by erratic weather, pests and diseases and market fluctuations. However, the fruit considered the "green yellow of the tropics" is almost productive, with much better economic efficiency than other crops.
Realizing the great profit from durian trees, Mr. Tuan boldly quit his real estate job and focused on taking care of the garden with his family. In recent years, Mr. Tuan has also followed the team of skilled durian thieves, learning how to search for fruit.
Mr. Tuan shared: Previously, every fruit season, prices fluctuated, traders outside often forced prices, anchored the garden or caused difficulties for farmers. I think I am a child of Dak Lak - the capital of durian - and it is not good for traders to come and buy, forcing local people to buy. Therefore, I bought the durian garden of my parents, neighbors and relatives to directly consume the product. Currently, I buy all the durian in the area and then go to the warehouse to process and sell to traders, wholesale markets or durian export facilities".
Up to now, with the experience accumulated every day, durian playing has become a right-hand job, bringing him a stable income.
The joy and sadness of the durian playing profession
One of Mr. Tuan's seniors is Mr. Huynh Tan Loi (35 years old, Quang Phu commune, Dak Lak), who has more than 10 years of experience in durian pressing. Unlike a tree planting worker, Mr. Loi's work of digging into the fruit long and purchasing durian only lasts 2 - 4 months a year.
The durian season in Dak Lak in particular and the Central Highlands provinces is concentrated in August and September every year. These days, our durian weavers have to focus on working at full capacity to harvest fresh fruit gardens with the highest quality, even meeting export standards, Mr. Loi shared.
The working day starts from 7 - 8 am, Mr. Loi visits the durian gardens, checks the quality of the fruits and negotiates prices with the garden owner. Waiting for the old durian to be in good condition, he and the group of typists started digging the fruit longas, cutting durian separately, sorting and transporting it to warehouses. There are days when he enters the warehouse all night, and returns home at 3-4 am, Mr. Loi takes a break to prepare for a new working day.
He said that to determine the ripeness of durian, the typist not only relies on sound but also has to observe and feel it through many senses.
"In terms of appearance, standard durian must have a characteristic green color, clear thorns, and dry thorny ends.
The road only runs from the culvert to the fruit trunk, which is dark and clear. In terms of sound, when hitting the cutting board, the fruit must make a deep "pull-up" sound to be old enough to harvest. If the sound of " all-out" proves that the fruit is still young," Mr. Loi revealed.
Durian fruits for export must be harvested when they are old and undercooked to have time to store,
transportation. However, they cannot be harvested too young because the rice has not yet reached the softness and poor flavor.
To have the current proficient skills, Mr. Loi has experienced many aspects of bones and blood. Remember
When he first started his career, not knowing how to dig up the right fruit, Mr. Loi once harvested a batch of young durian, causing a loss of nearly 400 million VND. The money and assets he had accumulated over the years disappeared in a few days, making the young man extremely sad.
But Mr. Loi did not give up, determined to learn, learn from experience to stand up from where he fell
down. Through time of training experience and good skills, he quickly reaped sweet fruits.
High-quality harvested durian blocks, eligible for export, bring him a profit
to tens, even hundreds of millions of VND. The motivation to get rich in his homeland made that man even more enthusiastic and determined to stick with the profession.
Not only in Dak Lak, Mr. Loi also buys durian in the Central Highlands provinces such as Lam Dong and Gia Lai, sometimes going down to the West. If anyone wants to learn a trade, he is not afraid to teach them experience, so that they can have more jobs to make a living and take care of their families like him in the past.
Developing million-dollar crops
Up to now, despite having more than 10 years of experience in the profession, Mr. Loi still cannot be sure
100% of durian tripe meets standards. However, after many years of struggling with sad news, Mr. Loi
affirmed that the quality of Vietnamese durian is increasing. The proof is that more and more gardens are bringing high productivity, with shipments qualified for export to international markets.
Mr. Le Dang Tuan also admitted: In the past, durian was bad, susceptible to pests and diseases, and had an uneven shape. But today's farmers have accumulated experience, growing green-skinned durian, yellow rice, and beautiful round fruits. In addition, the State and relevant agencies also sent experts and engineers to teach how to apply technology in sowing, watering, and caring for durian, helping people's crops to achieve outstanding productivity and quality".
In addition, the path to bringing Vietnamese durian to the international market, especially China, is expanding. In June 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak province coordinated with the Provincial Durian Association to build 10-15 supply chains. Each chain has the participation of a reputable enterprise, a packaging facility, and a cooperative with a growing area code to organize production to ensure compliance with standards.
Mr. Le Trung Anh - Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association said that the Association is making efforts to build and replicate "green export channels" chains from gardens to dining tables, to meet the strict requirements of the international market. The strategy focuses on the application of comprehensive traceability technology, quality control at each stage. In particular, the laboratory plays a key role before goods leave the garden.
This season, trucks carrying durian are still bustling from the Central Highlands to warehouses, wholesale markets, and border gates. Under the hard work of farmers, with the support of the State and localities, durian is gradually becoming a "long-lasting sweet pot", helping the people of the Central Highlands to become sustainable rich.
