Recently, social media was abuzz with images of unusually large lychees, with some fruits appearing to be the size of a person’s palm. This sparked curiosity among netizens, as typically, lychees are smaller than eggs.
The mystery behind these “giant” lychees was soon unveiled.
The “giant” lychees that sparked curiosity among netizens (Photo: Hoàng Phương)
Many people with experience in growing or consuming this type of lychee identified it as “trứng” lychee, a variety cultivated in Hưng Yên province. While this lychee variety has been around for a long time, it has only gained prominence in recent years due to improved cultivation techniques, resulting in larger fruits and higher yields.
Hưng Yên’s “trứng” lychees have been gaining popularity in recent years (Photos: Hoàng Phương, TikTok @tuankietgarden)
“Trứng” lychees originated from Phan Sào Nam commune in Phù Cừ district, Hưng Yên province, and have since been propagated and cultivated in neighboring communes. Today, they have become a profitable crop for local farmers.
Not only are they popular among Vietnamese consumers, but these lychees have also captured the hearts of international customers. When ripe, they boast a vibrant red color, large size, thick flesh, sweet taste, and alluring fragrance. “Trứng” lychees are typically priced between 70,000 and 100,000 VND per kilogram. Due to additional transportation and preservation costs, they may be sold at higher prices in other places, sometimes reaching up to 200,000 VND per kilogram.
The ripe “trứng” lychees are notably large in size (Photo: TikTok @truongphuongcherry)
While “trứng” lychees are significantly larger than other varieties, according to most people who have tasted and reviewed them, the fruits are usually only slightly bigger than a chicken egg. Each kilogram typically contains 15 to 17 fruits, and for larger fruits, there may be around 12 to 13 per kilogram. The lychees as big as a person’s palm, as seen in the viral images, are quite rare. Some speculate that they might be the largest fruits picked from an entire tree or orchard, or that the photos could be a result of clever angles or a child’s small hand holding the fruit. Nonetheless, “trứng” lychees are acknowledged to be considerably larger than regular lychees and are currently a prominent fruit variety in Vietnam’s market.
Apart from “trứng” lychees, there are also some large-sized lychee varieties originating from Australia, China, and other countries. However, these foreign varieties often lack the roundness and smoothness of “trứng” lychees.
