Safeguarding the Brand and Value of Tan Lac Red Pomelo

By mid-November 2025, as we returned to the famed red-pomelo region of Tan Lac, the hillsides along National Highway 12B were already cloaked in a golden shimmer — the color of ripe fruit at peak harvest.

Tan Lac appears almost destined for the red pomelo. With more than 80% of its terrain being mountainous and an average elevation of 300–400 meters above sea level, the fruit is cultivated on fertile, well-drained hill soil with deep cultivation layers. Most notably, the large temperature difference between day and night allows the pomelos to accumulate nutrients, creating juicy segments with a mild, refreshing sweetness and none of the bitterness found in many other varieties.

Thanks to these natural advantages, red pomelo began expanding strongly from 2010 and soon became the region’s key crop, transforming the socio-economic landscape of the area. A major milestone came in 2017, when the Intellectual Property Office officially granted the collective trademark “Tan Lac red pomelo,” affirming its quality and opening the door for wider market reach.

Vu Thi Oanh, Director of the Binh Minh Rural Services and Development Cooperative (Tan Tien Hamlet), is known as a dynamic leader committed to standardizing production. The cooperative is one of the pioneers mobilizing farmers to grow clean pomelo with an eye toward export.

“At the start, we had nearly 20 households participating in GlobalGAP-standard production. But the requirements are extremely strict — from varieties and fertilization timelines to detailed record-keeping — so only 11 households have remained. They are truly the most dedicated growers,” Oanh said. Of the hamlet’s 100 hectares of pomelo, 35 hectares follow GlobalGAP standards, and 20 hectares have achieved 3-star OCOP certification. Since 2021, the cooperative’s products have officially begun their “international journey.”

Tan Lac red pomelo — golden-skinned when ripe, with bright pinkish-red flesh, juicy and easy to separate, offering a gentle, refreshing sweetness and weighing 0.7–1.5 kilograms — has long held a solid domestic reputation. But to elevate it from a local specialty to a high-value commercial product, especially on the international market, it must be clean, standardized, and consistent.

The biggest breakthrough came in 2022, when the first shipment of more than 7 tons of Tan Lac red pomelo was officially exported to the United Kingdom. The batch was produced and packaged by members of the Tan Lac Red Pomelo Production, Processing, and Consumption Cooperative (Tu Ne Commune) and transported by FUSA Organic Agriculture JSC.

This historic milestone proved that Tan Lac red pomelo is fully capable of meeting the world’s most demanding standards. The success was not the achievement of a few individuals or a single cooperative — it was the result of a long-term, collective strategy.

Other cooperatives and collaborative groups such as Tan Huong 1, Tan Phong, Tan Dong, Organic Hopefarm, and Man Duc continue to rigorously supervise cultivation processes, adhere to disease-prevention protocols, and jointly raise overall quality.

Le Chung