It joins a prestigious list of well-known and unique products like Moc Chau tea, Buon Ma Thuot coffee and Phu Quoc fish sauce, which have received similar certificates in Viet Nam.

With State recognition, the Thanh Ha brand trademark will protect the interests of growers and consumers and creates favourable conditions for the future management of litchi plantations. All farmers in the district will be able to register and use the trademark if their litchis meet quality standards.

With the trademark, Thanh Ha litchis can now be sold at higher prices, around VND10,000 (US$0.7) per kg instead of the current VND5,000 for common types. Although different provinces nation-wide claim their litchis originated from Thanh Ha District, none of them are as tasty as Thanh Ha litchis.

The success came after three years of co-ordination between the Thanh Ha District People’s Committee, Hai Duong, and the provincial Science and Technology Department to register the trademark with the Intellectual Property Agency.

According Le Thanh Binh, chairman of Thanh Ha District People’s Committee, litchi plantations cover 7,000ha and this year’s crop is estimated at 25,000 tonnes.

Bound for Deutschland

As soon as Thanh Ha litchis received the certificate, the first shipment of Thanh Ha litchi was exported to Germany.

Another consumer, the Dong Giao Export Foodstuff Company, also signed a contract to purchase 5,000 tonnes of Thanh Ha litchis, eight times more than last year.

The company specialises in producing canned litchis and litchi juice for export to Europe. Recently it installed a modern production line capable of processing 150 tonnes daily.

Hoang Binh, Vice Chairman of the Hai Duong People’s Committee, noted "With the trademark, Thanh Ha litchis have confirmed their status; that their quality is far superior to other litchis." He believes that with marketing promotion, Thanh Ha litchi have excellent sales potential in local and world markets.