Characteristics of the Southeast Region
Table of Contents
In Vietnam’s Southeast region, coffee is mainly cultivated in three provinces: Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, Đồng Nai, and Bình Phước. Before 1975, coffee was grown primarily in Long Khánh (Đồng Nai) and later expanded to Đất Đỏ and Châu Đức (Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu), as well as Lộc Ninh, Bù Đốp, Đồng Phú, and Bù Đăng (Bình Phước)—mostly by farmers from Long Khánh.
Compared to the Central Highlands, coffee cultivation here has fewer natural advantages. The day–night temperature difference is lower and the dry season is less severe, with higher humidity. This higher humidity also leads to more fungal diseases. Moreover, the Southeast has no dedicated coffee research institute; most technical advances still come from the Central Highlands’ Agricultural and Forestry Science Institute.
As a result, coffee farming here is more challenging and yields and quality are generally lower. Yet the crop still thrives, with about 50,000 hectares under cultivation, proving its economic value.
“Better to Sacrifice a Few Blossoms for the Bigger Harvest”
At the end of the 2011–2012 crop year, growers were disappointed when yields dropped to about 70% of previous years, mainly due to an early and prolonged dry spell in August 2012—just as the coffee cherries were enlarging and needed water most.
Unlike the Central Highlands, much of the coffee in the Southeast is intercropped with cashew, fruit trees, or pepper. This gives the plantations higher humidity and many trees still have lush leaves after harvest. Entering the new crop year, unseasonal rains caused some trees to bloom early.
Farmers are advised not to nurture these early blossoms. Instead, they should prune, shape the canopy, withhold irrigation, and fertilize properly. Withholding water (“dry stressing”) may cause those early blossoms to wither, but this is preferable—it helps concentrate flowering later and leads to a more uniform, higher yield.
Dry-Season Fertilization
Like in the Central Highlands, farmers here prefer quick-dissolving dry-season fertilizer blends specifically formulated for coffee. Urea dissolves faster than ammonium sulfate (SA) but lacks sulfur, a necessary secondary nutrient. Blends such as 20N-5P-6K + TE balance both needs and meet farmers’ preferences.
Fertilizer rates should match the condition of the trees. If last season’s yield was high and the trees show signs of depletion, apply 200–300 g per plant at the first irrigation, and 400 g at the second. If the trees remain vigorous and green, the first application can be skipped or reduced to 100–200 g, with the second increased to 300–400 g per plant.
Replanting and Grafting Renovation
Old, low-yielding plantations or those with severe coffee leaf rust may need replanting or grafting. Replanting coffee is more challenging than many other crops due to nematode and fungal infestations. Often, replanted trees appear healthy for two or three years and then suddenly die.
When removing old trees, use an excavator to pull up the entire stump and root system. If not available, use a vertical root puller; avoid dragging horizontally with a plow, which leaves many fine roots behind—ideal hiding places for nematodes and their eggs. After removal, plow the field thoroughly to collect all roots and rotate with short-term crops for about two years before replanting coffee.
If a single plant dies and needs replacement, its entire root system must also be removed. For both replanting and gap-filling, apply two to three times more manure than usual. Studies show that heavy manure application reduces nematode populations and increases the survival rate of replanted coffee. With these combined measures, survival can reach 85–90%.
Old plantations can also be rejuvenated by top grafting: cut back the trunk, allow new shoots to sprout, and graft selected scions onto them. For quality scions, farmers should contact local agricultural extension centers.