Exploring a farm with internationally certified organic crops

Nearly four hectares of specialty grapes and squash grown by DONASA High-Tech Agricultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd. in Long Phuoc commune have earned international organic certification.

Visitors tour DONASA's internationally certified organic vineyard in Long Phuoc commune.

Behind the achievement lies years of effort to rehabilitate barren, gravelly land, replace conventional farming methods and pursue a nature-based agricultural model championed by entrepreneur Ho Thi Phung Han.

Reviving infertile land

Many visitors to the DONASA farm are impressed by its distinctive landscape, where vineyards and specialty squash fields are intercropped with vibrant rows of sunflowers. The unique clean-farming model has attracted tourists from across Vietnam eager to learn about and experience sustainable agriculture firsthand.

Ho Thi Phung Han, Director of DONASA High-Tech Agricultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd., said intercropping sunflowers with grapes and squash is part of a nature-based soil restoration approach rooted in ecological symbiosis.

"The journey did not begin in a laboratory. It began by listening to the land and restoring purity to every inch of the land. In our squash fields, the sunflower rows are more than just beautiful; they are silent heroes in DONASA's organic farming model."

Rather than relying on chemical treatments, the farm uses sunflowers to help regenerate soil naturally. According to the company, sunflower root systems help improve soil quality by absorbing certain impurities from the soil.

Visitors explore DONASA's sunflower intercropping model in its organic squash fields in Long Phuoc commune.

Han recalled that the area was once covered with nutrient-poor, gravelly soil where even hardy crops struggled to survive. The company spent years restoring the land before beginning cultivation.

From the outset, DONASA adopted organic farming practices. To earn international organic certification, however, the farm had to comply with stringent standards for soil quality, water sources, cultivation conditions and production processes, all free of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The entire production process underwent rigorous inspection and certification by an international certification body.

According to Han, strong consumer confidence in the farm's organic produce has encouraged the company to continue transforming once-barren land into productive organic orchards serving the wider community.

Nai Thanh Nhan, an engineer in charge of technical operations at DONASA, said the farm spent nearly three years restoring soil through natural methods such as intercropping legumes and flowering plants to gradually improve fertility and rebuild the soil ecosystem. He noted that organic production requires a fundamental change in farming practices. Instead of herbicides, the farm uses ground-cover film to suppress weeds and relies entirely on organic fertilizers and biological products.

Grapes are particularly vulnerable to weather conditions, especially during the rainy season when humidity increases the risk of fungal diseases and mealybug infestations. To minimize these risks, the farm prioritizes preventive measures, including bagging grape clusters, spraying approved biological products on a regular basis and conducting frequent field inspections to detect problems early. In addition to approved biological products, DONASA also produces its own natural pest-control solutions using garlic, chili and onions to support environmentally friendly crop protection.

Discovering unusual plant varieties

Although nearly four hectares have now received international organic certification, DONASA applies organic production methods across the farm’s entire area of nearly 30 hectares.

Alongside its rigorous cultivation standards, the farm grows a range of high-value imported varieties, including Black Pearl grapes, pineapple squash, Musang King durian, jaboticaba and yellow-fleshed rambutan.

“It took six years to acclimatize imported grape varieties to local growing conditions. Growing grapes is already challenging under conventional methods, and organic cultivation is even more demanding. In the early years, we invited Japanese viticulture experts to transfer technology and provide technical guidance. DONASA is among the first agricultural enterprises in the locality to introduce advanced production technologies, from variety selection to closely monitoring every stage of crop development,” Han said.

Although the farm employs professional agricultural engineers, Han continues to spend much of her time in the vineyards, overseeing everything from soil improvement and crop care to disease management. "When I decided to pursue organic agriculture, I joined international organic farming communities to learn directly from farmers around the world. The idea of intercropping sunflowers in vineyards and squash fields was learned from an organic farm in Italy," she said.

Thanks to systematic investment and professional management, DONASA's safe fruit products have earned the trust of consumers across Vietnam.

Han said the company's produce was initially supplied to Japanese supermarket chains operating in Vietnam, where grapes at one point sold for up to VND800,000 per kilogram. The company has since expanded into e-commerce while continuing to invest in brand development.

By B. Nguyen – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho