In Ha Tinh province in north-central Vietnam, native-bee beekeeping that takes honey only from forest and fruit-tree flowers, without relying on feeding, is moving from a side job to the stage of product-making. Realigning the results of four households that the local paper N\u00f4ng nghi\u1ec7p v\u00e0 M\u00f4i tr\u01b0\u1eddng reported on 20 July 2026, the annual honey yield per colony spreads nearly threefold, from 4 liters to 11.7 liters, and the sale unit price was 400,000 dong per liter (at 1 yen = about 162 VND, about 2,500 yen). The province-wide number of kept colonies has reached about 52,000. Japan's honey is almost entirely imported, and there is no room for Ha Tinh's honey to cut into that volume. If it is still worth considering, it is on two points: the price band, and how far the floral source can be identified.<\/p>\n
The article took up four households in four communes (x\u00e3) within the province. Tran Van Phong of Trung Linh village, Phuc Trach commune, used a setting close to natural forest and an abundant floral source to expand to about 100 colonies. He gets 7\u20138 liters per colony in one extraction and several hundred liters per extraction season. The original text does not mention the number of extractions per year, so annual output cannot be fixed.<\/p>\n
Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung of Bac Linh village in the same Phuc Trach commune harvests about 700 liters a year from a little over 60 colonies. In 2025 her honey 'V\u1ea1n Hoa (Van Hoa)' received OCOP 3-star certification. Previously, with mostly small-lot loose sales, it was hard to raise product value, but she explains that since launching the brand her sales channels have stabilized and the unit price has risen.<\/p>\n
Ho Xuan Tinh of Cam Binh commune increased from 40 to more than 50 colonies using a method of placing hives under the fruit-tree canopy, taking more than 200 liters a year. In addition, from the start of the year he sold 20 queen-bee colonies, creating income beyond honey. Phan Van Quy of Truong Luu commune bred 5 colonies received as support up to 25 colonies, selling about 150 liters a year at 400,000 dong per liter. This unit price is the only farmer's for whom a price is stated in the original text<\/strong>, and the sale prices of the other three households are not written.<\/p>\n The 'ong noi' the original text uses throughout refers to Vietnam's native honeybee (Apis cerana), distinguished in Vietnam from the mass-production-oriented Western bee called 'ong ngoai.' The article lists, as advantages of native-bee beekeeping, the small investment amount, the ease of keeping, and the low risk, and writes that because there is no need to supplement industrial feed, the honey keeps a natural flavor and quality.<\/p>\n Turned around, output per colony is bound to how the flowers bloom. The floral sources are clearly stated as forests of acacia (keo) and melaleuca (tram), plus the flowers of fruit trees such as orange, pomelo, and longan. The honey taken is golden and viscous, has a natural aroma, and is slow to crystallize, is the article's description. That the floral source can be identified<\/strong> is a condition that works for product design as a monofloral honey, but it sits poorly with large-volume supply that stacks up the same quality year-round.<\/p>\n Dividing the four households' figures back to a per-colony basis brings out on the table that a large number of colonies does not translate into honey yield.<\/p>\nThe distinction 'ong noi' and the premise of no feeding<\/h2>\n
4 liters versus 11.7 liters per colony: a nearly threefold gap within the same province<\/h2>\n