The northern province of Ha Giang is famous for its honey.
It is easy to see bee farms along Highway 4 running through the districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac.
Bee breeding on mountains in Ha Giang started a long time ago. Initially, local families used to raise 5-10 beehives at their homes for honey. A litre of honey is priced at VND300-400,000. Sometimes, the prices double due to scarcity.
The industry has seen strong development over the past 5-6 years. Lo Y May from Mong ethnic minority group said that he and his relative are caring for hundreds of beehives, which give them an income of tens of millions of VND per month. Bee breeders in Ha Giang earn around VND100-200 million per year on average.
According to local residents, bees mostly use pistil of mint in Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark which are home to many trees of this kind.
Chang Thin Lu in Dong Van District said that his family have been raising bees for a decade. At present, they have up to 500 beehives.
The mint honey season falls in November every year. On this occasion, visitors come to the province to see buckwheat and mint flowers. They also often buy the honey as presents.
Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network and Asia Pacific Geoparks Network, has also helped to promote the prestige of Ha Giang honey.
