In Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, there is a special garden that makes anyone who visits admire. It is a garden of more than 1,000 areca trees owned by Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, who diligently takes care of the large, green garden every day like a picture in the middle of a peaceful village.

Mr. Vinh's areca garden not only impresses with its poetic beauty, with areca trees planted in neat rows, each tree green and full of fruit, but also provides a stable source of income. Sharing while using a ladder to climb the areca trees to harvest ripe bunches, Mr. Vinh said: "This areca garden was built by my family more than 50 years ago. Areca trees bear fruit all year round, at the beginning of the year there are Tet areca trees and Full Moon areca trees which are very expensive. A bunch of areca trees can be sold for up to 1 million VND. From August onwards is the main crop, each bunch produces an average of 4kg of fruit, a bunch can yield up to 6kg. Areca trees are very easy to sell, on holidays, traders come to buy them.

According to Mr. Vinh, one areca season can yield many harvests, and this year, thanks to favorable weather and stable prices, his areca garden annually generates an income of about 350 million VND, not a small number for farmers in the countryside.

It is worth mentioning that growing areca is not as hard as many other crops. Areca is rarely affected by pests and diseases, and almost does not require the use of pesticides. Each year, he only fertilizes with organic fertilizer a few times and clears the grass around the base. Under the areca canopy, he also takes advantage of the area to grow betel and pepper, and at the same time raises bees for honey, increasing income while still maintaining the natural garden ecology.

In addition to selling areca nuts, Mr. Vinh also grows seedlings to supply to people in the area. Each seedling is sold for 35,000 - 50,000 VND, depending on size and age. Thanks to his reputation in the profession, his seedlings are always popular, not only in Kim Thanh but also in neighboring communes.

He said that the areca tree is long-lived and can produce fruit for 50-60 years without degenerating. Thanks to this characteristic, areca growers save on investment costs and can harvest regularly over many years. "Growing areca does not require too much worry, does not take up land, is clean, and does not contain chemicals, suitable for old people like me," Mr. Vinh shared.

With the stable income from areca, Mr. Vinh has built a spacious house and raised his children to adulthood. Not stopping there, he has continued to plant more than 1,000 young areca trees to gradually replace the old areca trees.

Mr. Phan Tat Mau - Chairman of Kim Thanh Commune People's Committee said that Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh is one of the few households growing areca palms on a large scale in the locality, considered a typical example of good economic performance. Currently, Kim Thanh Commune has more than 100 households growing areca palms, but they mainly grow intercropped, there are not many well-planned models like Mr. Vinh's.

From his family's success, the local government is encouraging people to expand the areca palm growing area in a concentrated manner, while also researching and developing areca palm products such as dried areca palm for year-round consumption, increasing value.

The picturesque areca garden is not only a place to preserve the memories of many generations but also a living testament to diligence, creativity and determination to get rich right on the homeland.