Two years ago, after years of working in southern Vietnam, Mr. Le Quang Sang and Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet Nhi chose to return to their hometown and grow golden cantaloupes for sale as a new venture in agriculture. Armed with experience in greenhouse farming, the couple, both from the 1990s generation, developed a melon farm on land where fruit trees had produced limited economic returns. After testing several varieties, they settled on golden cantaloupes as their main crop and named their farm Thanh Truc Farm.
Thanh Truc Farm currently operates 4 golden melon plots grown in greenhouses, producing 3 to 4 harvests per year. Each plot yields an average of 4 to 5 tons of fruit. Each harvest of golden cantaloupes typically lasts from 10 to 15 days. In addition to supplying wholesale buyers in southern Vietnam, the farm welcomes visitors for tours and photo opportunities, while also serving retail sales through home delivery services. Thanks to stable market demand and partnerships with distributors, the model generates strong returns and is emerging as a sustainable pathway for high-tech agriculture in the locality.
Thanks to the favorable conditions this year, the golden cantaloupes deliver high yields, with a Brix value (an index that measures of dissolved solids, primarily sugars, that indicates sweetness) ranging from 15% to 17%, well above the standard harvest threshold of 12%.
After 6 years working in the field of greenhouse golden cantaloupe cultivation, according to Mr. Le Quang Sang, the most challenging aspects are trellising the plants and managing nutrient supplementation to achieve the desired sweetness levels in the fruit. Due to the job requirements, laborers must spend long hours working inside greenhouses under high temperatures, which makes it difficult to recruit workers.
During the harvest season, the couple’s day begins as early as 5 a.m. with picking, wrapping, and packing melons for shipment. The workload stretches late into the night, sometimes lasting until 1 a.m. of the following day. As the reputation of the farm has spread through social media, Thanh Truc Farm has gained increasing visibility, attracting a large stream of visitors each day.
Ms. Tuyet Nhi shared: “We are delighted to welcome visitors to the farm for free tours and free check-in. Meanwhile, we also get the chance to introduce them to a safe agricultural product. We provide a variety of gardening tools and selfie sticks so that everyone can take beautiful photos. In addition, thanks to content creators on Facebook and TikTok, our golden cantaloupes have reached much attention from visitors”.
Taking her children to visit the farm, Ms. Pham Tran Nhat An from Phu Xuan Ward enthusiastically listened to the farmers’ story of high-tech cantaloupe cultivation and tried fresh melons right at the greenhouse. “This is our first visit to the farm. I want my children to connect with nature and learn more about farming. The experience has been fascinating and enjoyable. We’ll certainly return next season”, she shared.
Together with Hue Today Online, let’s visit Thanh Truc Farm in its harvest season:
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| Some cantaloupes weigh more than 3.75 kilograms. To ensure optimal fruit quality, growers prune each plant and allow only a single melon to develop |
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| With a sweetness level of 15-17% and fruit weighing from 2-3 kilograms, the crop is shaping up to be a bumper harvest |
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| Harvesting is carried out row by row, with the workday starting at dawn and often lasting until late at night |
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| Golden cantaloupes harvested at the farm are sold at VND 40.000 per kg |
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| Many visitors come in groups, with friends or family members. Before leaving, they often buy a few melons as a way to support the young farming couple |
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| Despite the higher temperatures inside the greenhouse, many visitors are eager to pose for memorable photos during their visit |
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| With considerable effort invested, many Facebookers and TikTokers have created various viral photos with golden cantaloupes on social media |
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| Pham Tran Nhat An’s family enjoys trying freshly picked melons at the farm |
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| Visitors flock to the farm throughout the harvest season to tour the melon fields |
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| The farm owner’s family members pitch in to deliver melon orders placed by customers throughout the day |
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| Le Quang Sang tightly ties the melons to ensure they can be transported safely by customers |