Rediscovering the Specialty Bo Ly Chewy Custard Apple

In late July, as summer sunlight covers the hillsides at the foot of the Tam Dao mountain range, the Bo Ly custard apple region (now part of Dai Dinh Commune) enters a new harvest season. Across the villages of Ngoc Thu, Trai Mai, Dong But..., lines of traders' vehicles stretch into the orchards to make purchases. On slopes where only cassava was once grown, the lush green of heavy-bearing custard apple trees is now bringing prosperity to many households while establishing the land’s famous specialty brand.

From early morning, the nearly 1-hectare orchard belonging to Ms. Pham Thi Thu’s family in Ngoc Thu Village is bustling with the sounds of harvesting. More than 1,000 chewy custard apple trees (na dai), including many aged 20 to 30 years, enter peak harvest simultaneously. Plump, bright-colored fruits with evenly opened eyes are carefully selected before being packaged and sent to distribution channels. Wiping away sweat, Ms. Thu shared: “Each year, my family harvests nearly 10 tons of fruit. At an average wholesale price of VND 35,000–40,000 per kilogram, our revenue reaches around VND 400 million. What is encouraging is that distribution has become increasingly favorable. Beyond traders buying directly at the orchard, a major portion of our yield is sold wholesale via digital platforms such as Facebook, Zalo, and TikTok. Regular customers just need to call or text to place an order. As a result, products sell quickly without relying entirely on traders like before.”

The custard apple orchard belonging to Ms. Pham Thi Thu’s family in Ngoc Thu Village.

To achieve high-quality custard apple harvests, growers must start caretaking immediately after the previous year’s harvest ends. Following Lunar New Year, households prune branches, shape canopies, and apply organic fertilizer to help the trees recover. When trees bloom, farmers perform manual hand-pollination to increase fruit set rates and proactively manage ripening times. According to several growers in the commune, this stage requires substantial labor but dictates both yield and fruit quality. Thanks to supplementary hand-pollination techniques, many orchards can adjust harvest timing, bringing early-ripening custard apples to market when supply is scarce, thereby commanding premium prices.

At the start of this year’s season, wholesale prices ranged from VND 70,000–75,000 per kilogram. Entering peak season, as supply rises, prices gradually decline. Nevertheless, with stable yields, custard apple trees yield far greater economic value compared to traditional crops grown in the past.

Beyond Ms. Thu’s family, numerous households in the commune earn hundreds of millions of Dong annually from custard apple cultivation. Mr. Tran Van Binh—a veteran custard apple grower—noted that what defines the Bo Ly chewy custard apple brand is the unique soil and climate conditions at the foot of the Tam Dao range. Consequently, the fruit boasts an attractive appearance, thick pulp, few seeds, deep sweetness, and a distinct aroma rarely matched in other regions. However, to yield top-quality fruit, growers must strictly follow technical procedures—from pruning, fertilizing, and pollinating to thinning fruit and controlling pests at the right time.

This year’s Bo Ly chewy custard apple crop brings both a bountiful harvest and good prices.

Alongside quality improvements, digital transformation is unlocking new sales avenues for custard apple farmers. While previously dependent on traders, many households now actively market their products on social media, host livestreams in their orchards, accept online orders, and ship produce to customers across various provinces. Combining direct garden sales with digital platform operations not only expands market reach but also elevates product value. Many customers, after tasting Bo Ly custard apples, become repeat buyers and recommend them to friends and relatives. This serves as a vital factor in building the local agricultural brand amidst today’s digital transformation.

Mr. Hoang Van Tinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairman of the Farmers“Association of the commune, stated: The entire commune currently has nearly 80 hectares dedicated to chewy custard apple cultivation, concentrated mainly in Ngoc Thu, Trai Mai, Dong But villages, and surrounding areas. Bo Ly custard apples have been recognized as an OCOP (One Commune One Product) item and serve as one of the locality’s key crops. Moving forward, the Farmers” Association will continue coordinating with specialized sectors to guide members in applying technology, establishing concentrated production zones, and building brands linked with experiential tourism and market expansion.

Far more than a delicious and nutritious fruit, Bo Ly chewy custard apples have become a symbol of shifting production mindsets, proper crop restructuring, and the ambition to prosper on native soil. Supported by local authorities, driven by farmer initiative, and empowered by digital transformation, the Bo Ly chewy custard apple specialty is step-by-step asserting its market standing—boosting incomes and driving agricultural economic growth across Dai Dinh Commune.

Hong Nhung