According to the Commercial Affairs Office under the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, nearly 50 tonnes of lychee have been shipped to Singapore via Hai Phong Port so far, and the export volume is expected to reach 100 tonnes this year.

Thanks to its good quality and eye-catching appearance, the fruit has quickly won over local consumers, leaving shelves in many supermarkets empty after only two weeks.

It was sold at SGD5 (US$3.59) per kg in the first week under a promotion programme, and SGD6 in the next week.

Tran Thu Quynh, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Singapore, said since early 2018, the office has worked with major Singaporean importers to introduce the fruit, and held working sessions with Singaporean experts in lychee preservation.

Over the past three years, the office has organised trips to Vietnam for Singaporean fruit importers, including FairPrice whose representatives directly examined Vietnamese lychee farms.

Since the beginning of this year’s lychee season, it has coordinated with the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Giang province, dubbed as the kingdom of lychee in Vietnam, to hold an online workshop promoting the fruit.

Quynh said the office plans to join hands with Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces, and FairPrice to organise a Vietnamese lychee day in Singapore in the next crop.

With the support of Singaporean experts, it is designing leaflets introducing the fruit in English, she added.

In 2020, Bac Giang has 28,000 ha of lychee, including over 160,000 ha for harvesting, up 10,000 tonnes compared to the previous year.

The area of lychee produced according to VietGAP standard is estimated at 15,000 ha with an output of 110,000 tonnes, accounting for 53% and 69% of the total, respectively.

As many as 80 ha of lychee are planted under GlobalGAP practices with an estimated output of 500 tonnes to serve high-end markets.

Meanwhile, Hai Duong is now home to 9,700 ha of lychee, mostly in Thanh Ha district with about 3,600 ha and Chi Linh city with 3,900 ha. The total lychee output is estimated at 45,000 tonnes this year. The early lychee harvest is estimated to be 20,000 tonnes and the main crop is about 25,000 tonnes.