Over 2 recent years, a vegetable growing area in My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang has been very attractive to foreigners who are interested in cultivation activities through interesting eco-tours to this venue. 

Visitors capturing wonderful moments at the vegetable growing area

These agri-tourism tours, which have been initiated by local female farmer Nguyen Thi Cong and a local tourism business, guarantee visitors’ full immersion in the agricultural lifestyle of Vietnamese farmers.

Every month, Ms Cong welcomes between 10 and 15 groups, with each comprises up to 7 foreigners, the majority of them are from the US, China, South Korea and Japan.  Cong revealed that she earns about 50,000 VND from receiving each visitor to her venue.

The usual tranquil atmosphere of this vegetable growing area is pierced by the distant laughter and gossips of tourists.  Visitors will be introduced by experienced farmers to different steps of tending to vegetables such as collecting seaweeds to use as organic fertilisers, hoeing the soil, sowing the seeds, and harvesting the vegetables.

Apart from taking photos of natural scenery, many visitors usually feel very excited with the chance to carry irrigation water with shoulder poles, to tend lush green vegetable beds, or to use hoes, an ancient and versatile agricultural and horticultural hand tool, to remove weeds, clear soil, and harvest root crops.

Some foreigners said it was only after having done the job with their own hands that they could understand more about Viet Nam’s agricultural lifestyle, and hardworking and friendly farmers.

Recently, after having experienced unforgettable moments during his eco-trip to the vegetable growing area, an American visitor sent Ms Cong a SMS text message in which he highly applauded local farmers there for extending warm welcome to him and other foreign visitors.

Ms Cong hoped that this type of tourism will be further developed and expanded into other such areas because it helps local farmers enjoy higher incomes not only from the sale of vegetables but also from the tourist industry.

Furthermore, agricultural tourism will help partly advertise the image of peaceful, friendly and hospitable Da Nang, and Viet Nam as whole.