Hong Yen Village ‘booms’ thanks to banana trade

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen - the “boss” of banana trade in Hong Yen Village said: “I don’t know when banana trade became an occupation in the village. As a child, I followed my father to roam to Nghia Dan, Quy Hop, purchased bananas and brought them back so that my mother, my sister could sell them in the market. I have done this job for almost 40 years”. Photo: Thanh Phuc

From 3 to 4 a.m, young men in the village prepared their tools and traveled to Western districts of Nghe An to purchase bananas. In the past, they traveled by oxcart or train, but now they rode motorbikes or drove trucks. Photo: Thanh Phuc

When "targeting" a satisfactory banana garden, the buyer would "agree on the price", cut down and transport bananas by trucks or motorbikes back to the village and sell them to traders or wholesalers at the markets. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Banana traders must have a "professional eye", to assess that bananas are old enough, ripe enough, their weight and how to make a bargain to earn profits. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Nguyen Van Quyet (in Hong Yen village), who has been better off thanks to banana trade, said: “Doing this job, we need to be healthy, because not only it is hard to travel the long distance but it also requires “cutting down and carrying on shoulder” techniques. In this photo, Quyet is carrying on his shoulder an up to 35-kilogram banana bunch. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Bananas are transported to the village after being purchased. Mothers and wives splited them in to smaller bunches, sold them in wholesale to traders or in retail at markets. It is estimated that each day, Hong Yen village supplies about 20 tons of bananas of all kinds to the market. In particular, on the first day of the month and the full moon, the amount of bananas sold is about 40-50 tons. Photo: Thanh Phuc

This profession is hard and fatigued, but if people are diligent and hardworking, each month they can earn an income of 20-40 million VND/household (for 2-3 workers). Photo: Thanh Phuc