From spraying plant protection chemicals and applying foliar fertilizers to transporting agricultural produce, UAV technology is progressively being put into practice, helping to reduce manual labor, save time and costs, and elevate farming efficiency, opening a new production orientation for local agriculture.

In April 2026, Điện Biên province implemented its first trial application of UAVs in tending coffee in Pa Liếng village (Mường Ảng commune). Trial results showed that the drone is capable of treating a large area in a short time, significantly cutting labor and costs compared to manual care methods. This is considered the initial step in introducing new technology into agricultural production, aligning with the province’s low-altitude airspace economic development orientation.

Following initial results, in late September 2026, Việt Nam Post Corporation (Việt Nam Post) operationalized a UAV coffee transport service in Mường Ảng commune. With coffee areas situated on steep hillsides and difficult access roads, transporting via traditional methods typically consumes substantial time, effort, and costs. Under such conditions, UAVs can assume a portion of the transport workload, moving agricultural produce across hard-to-reach terrain, contributing to easing the pressure on laborers during the harvest season.

Đặng Hải Long, UAV Project Director of Việt Nam Post Corporation, stated: “During the deployment in Mường Ảng, 20 households participated with 18 transport flights, helping save approximately 60 - 70% of the time compared to transporting coffee by motorbike. Based on this result, the unit aims to turn UAVs into a vital link in the end-to-end agricultural produce transport process, from the harvesting point to the aggregation point, factory, and export. In the coming time, the Corporation will continue to coordinate with local administrations and residents to organize seminars and formulate suitable production and collection plans, thereby optimizing transport capacity, aggregating agricultural produce, and elevating value for producers.”

Not stopping at trial programs or transport services, UAVs are progressively being proactively invested in and exploited by enterprises and cooperatives across the province in multiple production stages.

Since late July 2026, Điện Biên Macadamia and Forestry Seedling Investment and Development JSC has invested in one UAV device to serve production. The device features a 100-liter spray tank, a 150-liter spreading tank, and a cargo transport capacity of 100kg. Alongside investing in machinery, the company sent personnel to participate in training and receive operational certificates in accordance with regulations to ensure the safe and effective use of the equipment.

Currently, the Company has over 10ha of macadamia. If sprayed manually, the entire area takes about 1 week with at least 3 workers. Meanwhile, using a UAV takes only 1 day with 2 operators. The shortened care time helps the enterprise be more proactive in deploying personnel, ensuring timely spraying and fertilizing to meet the growth and development requirements of the crops. Particularly for macadamia trees in the commercial yielding phase, the canopy grows thick, requiring even coverage during spraying to ensure care efficacy. This is also one of the advantages highly rated by the enterprise when applying the drone.

Phạm Duy Bình, Director of Điện Biên Macadamia and Forestry Seedling Investment and Development JSC, stated: “The advantage of the agricultural drone is timely spraying, saving labor, and ensuring even canopy coverage. For macadamia trees in the commercial yielding phase with a thick canopy, the device well meets spraying requirements, supporting a more effective crop care process.”

Hải Trang Farm Agricultural Service Cooperative is among the units that gained early access to and introduced UAVs into production. With over 15ha of fruit trees and intercropped coffee, since December 2025, the cooperative has explored UAV technology, researched its suitability with farming conditions, and finalized necessary procedures. Subsequently, the unit invested in drones to spray plant protection chemicals and apply foliar fertilizers for its crop areas. From early 2026 to date, besides serving internal production, the cooperative also provides services to households in need across the area. The total area of fruit trees and coffee where the cooperative applied UAVs for spraying plant protection chemicals and fertilizing reached over 600ha.

Nguyễn Duy Hải, Director of Hải Trang Farm Agricultural Service Cooperative, Mường Ảng commune, stated: “Through the process of applying UAVs, the cooperative noticed that labor productivity has been elevated and production costs reduced. Compared to manual spraying, the device is capable of treating a large area in a short time, cutting direct labor and water usage per unit of area. For areas with complex terrain and steeply sloping orchards, UAVs help deploy work more smoothly, especially when pests and diseases need to be treated promptly.”

From the initial efficiency of the models, UAVs are receiving increasingly immense attention from producing households. At the seminar on the low-altitude economy - a new driver for green, smart, and sustainable transformation organized by Điện Biên province in mid-October 2026, devices, solutions, and services applying UAVs in agriculture attracted the attention of numerous delegates, particularly residents coming to explore and experience.

The family of Lò Văn Cường in Na Khoang village (Mường Nhà commune) currently has about 6ha of coffee, macadamia, and several types of fruit trees. Faced with the demand to continue restructuring and expanding crop areas, Cường is interested in exploring technological application solutions to reduce costs and labor. Cường stated: “With a large production area and mountainous terrain, moving and tending via traditional methods is quite arduous. Therefore, I attended the seminar to learn about the equipment, procedures, and related formalities, aiming to invest in a UAV to serve production and elevate the efficiency of capital utilization.”

For UAV technology to be widely applied and suited to practical conditions, Điện Biên province emphasizes communication, connecting, and assisting organizations, enterprises, cooperatives, and households in accessing new solutions. The Department of Science and Technology coordinates with UAV service-providing agencies and units and local administrations to organize conferences introducing the low-altitude economic development model, concentrating on locales with large agricultural specialized farming zones. Through these conferences, residents and enterprises access information about devices, products, and UAV application services suited to the production conditions of each locality.

With advantages in shortening production time, reducing labor, and adapting to mountainous terrain, UAVs are expected to become a potent support tool for Điện Biên’s concentrated agricultural production zones. From initial models, continuing to expand applications, elevate operational capacity, and strengthen connectivity between service-providing enterprises and producers contributes to bringing technology into practice, propelling the transformation of farming methods toward a modern, smart, and sustainable orientation.