Bringing Cabbage to Taiwan's Market
Building on its temperate climate and traditional farming experience, agricultural areas surrounding Da Lat are shifting from fragmented production to the development of concentrated cabbage-growing zones. Through tighter quality control and stronger links among farming households, cooperatives and businesses, the region is expanding its exports to Taiwan.
Crop Rotation Across the Rainy and Dry Seasons
In the first 10 months of 2026, farmer Nguyen Van Manh in Tan Ha Lam Ha Commune completed two cabbage crops, rotating them with other vegetables across a total area of 3 hectares. Yields ranged from 70 to 80 tonnes per hectare per crop. All harvested cabbage was transported to the processing facilities and cold-storage warehouses of the production chain in Duc Trong Commune for preliminary processing, packaging and shipment to Taiwan.
To ensure export-standard yields and quality from the first two crops, Manh received advance supplies of all seeds, fertilizers and integrated pest management products from the production chain. Its members also provided direct technical guidance, from planting through to harvesting.
Manh said: “With a planting density of 40,000 plants per hectare and full implementation of the safe and sustainable farming practices transferred by the production chain, the crop is ready for harvest after 70 days, with an average weight of 2 kilograms per plant. Under the chain's product purchasing agreement, we grow two rotational crops each year, with estimated profits of around VND280 million per hectare...”
In Hiep Thanh Commune, farmer Thang has also begun growing cabbage on an initial rotational area of 2 hectares. He said the soil conditions and cool climate in the agricultural areas surrounding Da Lat are well suited to open-field cabbage cultivation using advanced farming practices, enabling farmers to ensure a stable supply under export contracts. On the same plot of land, cabbage generates income for six months of the year, while farmers can earn additional returns from other rotational vegetables, tubers and fruits during the remaining six months.
Expanding Linked Production Areas
To date, the cabbage production and export chain serving Taiwan has developed more than 140 hectares of growing areas in communes surrounding Da Lat, bringing together 40 members, including businesses, cooperatives and farming households.
Businessman Huynh Thom, who coordinates the production chain, said production is organized through crop rotation and staggered harvesting from May to November each year. The chain purchases members' entire cabbage output, with daily volumes ranging from at least 12 tonnes to as much as 30 tonnes. In the agricultural area of Don Duong Commune, the initial linked production area of 3 hectares in 2024 has expanded to 120 hectares. Meanwhile, more than 20 hectares in Duc Trong and Tan Ha Lam Ha communes are being converted to new varieties.
Under bilateral contractual agreements, the production chain advances imported cabbage seeds from Taiwan, fertilizers and pest-control products, while providing technical guidance and purchasing all harvested produce at stable prices. Members organize their production in line with the chain's management and market plans. They are required to follow procedures for nutrient management, automated sprinkler irrigation and integrated pest management, as well as maintain production records.
Crop schedules are also carefully planned to ensure that harvesting takes place at the right time, helping prevent localized oversupply or shortages of raw materials in relation to orders from the Taiwanese market.
Businessman Huynh Thom noted: “When members cultivate within the same growing area, production procedures are standardized, from seed sources and planting density to crop care and harvesting. Consistency in appearance, product quality, packaging conditions and transportation time not only increases commercial value but also reduces labor costs for sorting, preliminary processing and removing products that fail to meet export requirements...”
Lam Dong currently has 104 production chains covering nearly 4,570 hectares of various vegetables, including cabbage, with more than 3,170 farming households participating as members. The chains produce nearly 352,080 tonnes of vegetables annually, equivalent to 11.5% of the province's total vegetable output. Domestic markets account for 90% of sales, while exports make up the remaining 10%, primarily to Asian markets such as China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore.
Ha Ngoc Chien, Head of the provincial Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection