Today I visited three families in a rural community, accompanied by a coworker, the local community worker, and her daughter, who kindly acted as my translator.
The first family has two children (grades 7 and 5) and 250 dragon fruit trees. Besides farming, both parents work as day laborers whenever work is available, though it isn’t every day. They borrowed 10 million dong from Thien Chi, to be repaid in 10 months, to invest in their orchard. But the price of dragon fruit remains very low, largely dictated by the Chinese market.
The second family, with three children in grades 9, 8, and 3, tends 400 trees and also works as day laborers. To harvest their fruit, they must hire extra help. Together they earn about 7.5 million dong per month (less than $300), but more than half of this recently went toward school fees, 4 million dong in a single month. This year, after investing the equivalent of $770 into their orchard, they made only $300 in profit. Like the first family, they rely on a 10 million dong loan, repaid over 10 months.
The third family has three children (in preschool, grade 5, and grade 10). They once had 350 trees but now only 300, as older ones broke with age. Both parents also work as day laborers, earning between 7 and 8 million dong per month ($260–300). Recent harvests have been disappointing, one brought no profit, and the other failed altogether when flowers weren’t pollinated. School expenses add extra pressure, especially the costly new uniforms required at each stage of education. They don’t qualify for scholarships but did receive a loan of 10 million dong.
Each of these families shows both the resilience and the vulnerability of dragon fruit farmers. Loans give them a chance to keep going, but unpredictable markets and high education costs remain heavy challenges. I was also grateful for the community worker’s daughter, who kindly translated throughout the visits, making it easier to connect with the families and learn their stories.
Leticia