Data collection for this book began when the author was working in Vietnam preparing a Tree Crop Development Project for ADB in 1998, with an FAO/Investment Centre Team, which visited several research institutions; provincial, district and commune authorities; technical and extension staff working on fruit development; fruit farmers and processors; traders selling produce to local markets, etc., both in the North and South of Vietnam. Towards the end of his mission, the author prepared, as well as his report, a “Profile of Fruits of Vietnam”, based on his library research, field observations, and discussions with personnel of various research and experiment stations dealing with fruits throughout the country.
The opportunity to publish an expanded version of the initial profile arose when Keith Chapman, of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, learnt about the document and encouraged the author to publish an updated version, with the assistance of Vietnamese counterparts and with support funding from the FAO.
The book, “Fruits of Vietnam”, contains information on various aspects of fruits in Vietnam. The contents include six major fruits, four potential fruits and six other fruits of Vietnam, as well as document of the minor fruit species. Pertinent information on each fruit includes scientific and vernacular names of South East Asian fruits, general description, origin and distribution, ecology, genetics and improvement, major varieties in Vietnam, propagation, planting, pests and diseases, fruiting season, harvest and yield, post-harvests operation, problems, and prospects. However, the author recognizes that significant gaps still exist in the knowledge of fruit production in Vietnam to this day, because much of the research and development on fruits in Vietnam has simply not been done, and many issues, such as formal identification of major pests and diseases, still have to be completed.
The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to all fruit research scientists of the various research and experiment stations in Vietnam, who had provided him with invaluable information. Special thanks go to Dr. Tran Van Lai, the Director, and Dr. Vu Manh Hai, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable (RIFAV); Dr. Nguyen Minh Chau, the Director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI). The author is grateful to Dr. Vu Manh Hai of RIFAV; Dr. Le Thi Thu Hong, Head, Division of Research Management and International Relation, SOFRI. The author is also grateful to Dr. C. Gigante MacBaine, Assistant Editor of the AU Journal of Technology of Assumption University, for his help with the manuscript and Loraine and Keith Chapman, for some major assistance with preliminary editing of the manuscript and making valuable comments and suggestions on content.
Finally, my special thanks to the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific for providing the funding for this publication.
Narong Chomchalow
770 Phahonyoin 32
Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand
<[email protected]>
