Neighbor’s $20,000 durian harvest sparks quarrels in my family

My hometown is a large durian growing region. The price of the fruit has been rising in recent years, helping many farming households rake in a lot of money. Thanks to this, the houses in my area have all been upgraded and many families have purchased cars.

However, this has also caused discord and arguments in my family. My next-door neighbor has an orchard of the same size as mine, yet they make nearly VND500 million in profits from just one durian harvest, while I earn much less from growing coconuts and pomelos.

My wife is adamant about cutting down all the crops we currently have to plant durians, even though I have explained multiple times that our neighbors have spent years cultivating their trees. The investment over those years, including costs for fertilizers, pesticides, and off-season treatments, is substantial.

I remember that during the saltwater intrusion in 2016, they spent VND20 million every week to buy fresh water to irrigate their trees. Now that prices have surged, they are only reaping their earned benefits. Moreover, there is no guarantee that durian prices will remain high next year or in the years to come. If we cut down all our existing trees, where will we get the capital to invest?

If I take out a loan, I will have no income in the next few years to pay the interest. I have tried to make my case, but my wife still believes that if we commit to planting durians, we will earn more than we currently do, even if prices drop. She says I am too timid to make changes and that if I keep worrying, our family’s finances will never improve.

I am somewhat convinced and am considering using the orchard’s land title deed as collateral to borrow money to switch half of our farming area to durian.

Was I right to be worried about this decision?