Sơn La Province: Building the brand for “premium Vietnamese dragon fruit”

The development and promotion of the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark has received strong attention from the province. As a result, dragon fruit products have gained increasing acceptance in both domestic and international markets. This has fostered stronger linkages among enterprises and cooperatives, promoted production and consumption, and contributed to sustainable agricultural development.

Originally a fruit widely cultivated in the southern region of Vietnam, dragon fruit was introduced to Sơn La for cultivation in 2010. The crop has since proven highly suitable for the local climate and soil conditions. It has become a high-quality fruit that delivers strong economic returns for local residents.

Currently, Sơn La Province has around 300 hectares of dragon fruit, mainly concentrated in Mai Sơn, Thuận Châu, Yên Châu districts, and the provincial city. The province has an annual output of approximately 5,000 tons. Sơn La’s dragon fruit products have increasingly affirmed their quality and reputation in the market. They have been exported to countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

However, without a certification mark, Sơn La dragon fruit has faced significant pressure from dragon fruit-growing regions across the country. In 2021, the Sơn La Provincial People’s Committee approved the implementation of the project “Building, Managing, and Developing the ‘Sơn La Dragon Fruit’ Certification Mark” for the province’s dragon fruit products. The project was led by CONCETTI Co., Ltd., with engineer Trần Quang Minh serving as project director.

Under the project, the team conducted reviews and assessments and selected five cooperatives to pilot the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark model. These included Ngọc Hoàng Agricultural Cooperative, Bình Thuận General Production, Business and Service Cooperative, Tây Bắc Organic Agricultural Production Cooperative, Kiên Cường Phiêng Khoài Cooperative, and Hoa Quả Thành Đạt Cooperative.

As one of the units selected to participate in the project, Ngọc Hoàng Agricultural Cooperative in Mai Sơn District currently has more than 200 hectares of dragon fruit. The cooperative has an annual output of around 3,000 tons.

Nguyễn Quang Vinh, Director of the cooperative, said that to ensure dragon fruit meets export requirements, the cooperative requires its members to strictly control the entire production process. This includes cultivation, fertilization, pruning, and orchard management. These measures help create high-quality, safe products that meet the stringent standards of demanding markets. The cooperative’s authorization to use the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark will provide favorable conditions for further expanding dragon fruit exports to international markets.

In addition, the project implementation team has worked with the Department of Science and Technology to provide guidance and transfer knowledge to cooperatives. The support focuses on product promotion activities, the use of brand identity systems, packaging, and product labels. The team has also supported cooperatives in participating in trade fairs, exhibitions, trial distribution channels, and other promotional events.

Engineer Trần Quang Minh, the project director, said that the team organized four training courses to help local farmers better understand certification marks and collective trademarks. The courses also provided participants with essential skills for building, managing, and developing protected brands, particularly the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark.

At the same time, the training helped local residents apply proper production techniques and create products that meet quality requirements. It also helped them fulfill the criteria for products bearing the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark and learn digital-based marketing methods.

With the efforts of the project implementation team, in August 2024, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology granted an intellectual property protection certificate for “Sơn La Dragon Fruit”. This marked an important milestone, creating opportunities for Sơn La’s dragon fruit products to access demanding markets such as Europe and Japan.

In November 2024, the Department of Science and Technology, in coordination with the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam and Thuận Châu District, organized a ceremony to announce the protection certificate for the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark.

Nguyễn Duy Hoàng, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, said that the department had granted certificates of authorization to use the trademark to five dragon fruit-growing cooperatives in Thuận Châu, Mai Sơn, Yên Châu, and Mộc Châu districts. The development of the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark has created motivation for dragon fruit growers, enterprises, and cooperatives to expand production and consumption. It has also helped this fruit penetrate more demanding markets while enhancing its brand value and economic value.

The successful establishment of the “Sơn La Dragon Fruit” certification mark has contributed to improving the brand value of dragon fruit in particular, as well as local specialty agricultural products with export potential in general. It has also helped improve the livelihoods of local residents.