Ba Lai Story

Ba Lai Farm's journey began in the 1990s, when my grandfather pioneered cacao cultivation in Ben Tre province, introducing seedlings and fostering its growth across the region. Despite the volatile nature of cacao prices, leading many farmers to alternate between planting and felling, my family maintained a consistent "fair trade" export relationship with a German partner for years.

​Set upon the ancestral soils of An Hóa islet and nourished by the gentle Ba Lai River, our farm is a sanctuary of 'peaceful transformation'. Rooted in the foundational history of Bến Tre and the spirit of An (安) and Hóa (化). 

 

The Ba Lai River is a historically significant branch of the Mekong’s Tiền River, stretching approximately 55 km across Bến Tre province. The Ba Lai is defined by its gentle flow, standing in calm contrast to the larger, swifter branches of the Mekong.

 

Historically a saline-influenced waterway, the river underwent a massive transformation in 2002 with the construction of the Ba Lai dam and sluice system, one of the largest irrigation projects in the region.