A Wealth of Attractions in the Nam Pung Pear “Kingdom”

For visitors from within and beyond the province, Nam Pung has long impressed not only with its majestic mountains and the culturally rich villages of the Dao and Ha Nhi people, but also as the “capital” of the Tai Nung pear, a famous temperate fruit tree of Lao Cai.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Nam Pung Pear-Harvest Experience Week.

The Tai Nung pear, originally from far-off Taiwan, took root in Nam Pung about 15 years ago. Once a little-known fruit tree, it has now proven its economic value and become a distinctive tourism product. Each spring, pear blossoms turn the hillsides and valleys a beautiful white; by summer in June, clusters of ripe, juicy pears invite visitors to come and savor the sweetness of the mountains.

Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Muong Hum Commune People's Committee, delivered the opening address of the Nam Pung Pear-Harvest Experience Week.

Arriving in Muong Hum commune early on the morning of June 27, we could clearly feel the buzz. From the Muong Hum market beside a clear stream, streams of visitors made their way eagerly along the newly asphalted road up the slope toward the former Nam Pung area to join the pear-picking festival. A road usually quiet was, that day, as crowded and lively as a market fair.

At exactly 8:30 a.m., in Kin Chu Phin 2 hamlet - home to the most fruit-laden orchards - the Muong Hum Commune People's Committee opened the Nam Pung Pear-Harvest Experience Week. According to Nguyen Ngoc Minh, the event is an important occasion for Muong Hum, helping introduce and promote the locality's tourism potential and new tourism products, creating an upbeat atmosphere and encouraging the ethnic communities themselves to take part. It aims to tap local potential and strengths to develop tourism and to attract organizations, businesses and individuals to invest and take part in service and tourism activities in the commune. This year's festival runs not for a single day but for a full week, from June 27 to July 3, 2026, with many activities to draw visitors.

Visitors tour and try picking pears in Kin Chu Phin 1 hamlet, Muong Hum commune.

Right after the opening, Dao and Ha Nhi residents from the hamlets joined a pear-picking contest to select the biggest, tastiest and best-looking pears. During the festival, the organizers also held a “Three-Good Pear Orchard” contest to encourage residents to compete in growing and tending the crop and raising the quality of Nam Pung pears. Residents and visitors could also enter a “Colors of the Nam Pung Pear” photo contest, spreading the beauty of Muong Hum's land and people while capturing the festival's most striking images.

Nguyen Hong Linh, a visitor from Lao Cai ward, was impressed by the beauty of the ripe pear orchards.

Delighting with family and friends among the fruit-laden trees, hand-picking the finest pears to eat and to take home as gifts, Nguyen Hong Linh, a visitor from Lao Cai ward, shared: “This is my second time experiencing the pear harvest in Nam Pung. The pears here are not only big and juicy but also have a wonderfully sweet, cool taste. I love visiting the orchards and the feeling of picking pears myself to bring home as gifts for my family.”

Linh was far from the only one impressed by the Nam Pung pear-harvest experience. On the occasion, visitors to Muong Hum could also learn about the cultural identity of the Mong, Dao, Giay and Ha Nhi peoples; check in at Nam Pung Waterfall, Muong Hum market and Rong (Dragon) Waterfall; and visit stalls displaying OCOP products, Nam Pung pears and other local farm produce.

The Joy of the Ripe-Pear Season

Learning more about the Tai Nung pear in Muong Hum, we found that the commune now has nearly 200 hectares of the crop, about 70 hectares of which are being harvested, concentrated mainly in the hamlets of Kin Chu Phin 1, Kin Chu Phin 2, Ta Chai and Nam Pung. When the tree was first introduced, many doubted the strange plant could flower and bear fruit here. Yet after just four years the first trees bore fruit, and in later years the harvests were bountiful. Nam Pung pears became famous for being large, thin-skinned and bright, each one juicy and noticeably sweeter than pears grown in many other places.

A ripe pear orchard in Kin Chu Phin 1 hamlet draws visitors to tour and experience the harvest.

In recent years, Tai Nung pears from Nam Pung have won wide favor. June, when the pears ripen, is also the happiest season for the local Dao and Ha Nhi people, who earn extra income from their orchards. Tan Ta May, an orchard owner in Kin Chu Phin 1 hamlet, shared: “This year, although the weather wasn't favorable - there were dry spells - good care meant my family's orchard still yielded about 4 tons of fruit. At an orchard price of 20,000 to 30,000 VND per kilo, that brought in more than 100 million VND.”

The joy of the Red Dao people of Muong Hum commune in the ripe-pear season.

In the former Nam Pung area, it is not only May's family: many Dao and Ha Nhi households now earn tens of millions of VND each year from their Tai Nung pear orchards. Many also gain extra income from welcoming visitors to tour and experience the orchards. After 15 years, the Tai Nung pear has become a key crop, recognized as a provincial 3-star OCOP product - not only helping reduce poverty but also bringing residents a comfortable life. Many households have built solid homes and bought fine motorbikes thanks to the pear tree.

A Striking “Digital Market” Among the Pear Orchards

Unlike the bustling, festive atmosphere in the orchards around the main festival site, another orchard about 500 meters away was quieter - yet hosting a special festival activity: the digital market “Nam Pung Pears - Rich With the Flavor of the Northwest Forest.” The event promotes and sells Nam Pung pears and Muong Hum's signature farm products on social-media platforms, creating a strong ripple effect.

The “Nam Pung Pears - Rich With the Flavor of the Northwest Forest” digital market.

At a small table laid with plump, ripe pears and other products such as Bat Tien tea, Shan Tuyet tea, red peanuts and stevia, young men and women of the Giay, Dao and Ha Nhi peoples eagerly shared product information, introducing them to visitors everywhere via social media. Ly Gi Su, of the Ha Nhi people from Kin Chu Phin 2 hamlet, confidently told viewers about the pears the community grows - the planting and tending process, the fruit's quality and the price of each type. Many customers watched the live stream and placed orders for pears as gifts.

Ly Gi Su shared: “Before joining the digital market, commune officials and experts trained me in using a smartphone and equipment to film sales videos online, and in presenting products to attract people's interest. I'm very happy that through the digital market I've been able to introduce my homeland's specialties to people across the country.”

Young ethnic-minority men and women of Muong Hum commune actively sold products via social-media platforms at the digital market.

An active live streamer promoting and selling Nam Pung pears and Muong Hum farm produce on social media - drawing thousands of views - Truong Van An, Director of the Muong Hum High-Tech Agriculture Cooperative, said: “In today's era of advancing technology, I and many local young people are actively pursuing digital transformation in farming, especially stepping up product promotion and online sales on social-media platforms. Digital transformation is a new path that helps young ethnic-minority people start businesses effectively and build an increasingly prosperous life.”

The digital market is a new activity that helps promote and introduce Muong Hum commune's signature products to visitors from everywhere.

According to our reporters, the opening day of the Nam Pung Pear-Harvest Experience Week enjoyed fine, cool weather, with thousands of visitors from all over coming to Muong Hum to tour and experience - creating a jubilant, bustling atmosphere. The ripe-pear season in Muong Hum has become an appealing rendezvous for visitors who love nature, enjoy exploring the beauty of the villages and want to make fond memories among the juicy pear orchards of Muong Hum.

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