Over recent years, organic vegetable growing area across Da Nang has been very attractive to visitors from both home and abroad who are keen on learning about agricultural activities through interesting farm-tours to these places.

Hoang Anh Preschool pupils learning how to harvest hydroponic vegetables at the Tuy Loan organic vegetable growing area in Hoa Vang District

In mid-January, the Tuy Loan Organic Vegetables Consumption and Production Service Cooperative in Hoa Vang District's Hoa Phong Commune hosted about 150 pupils from the Son Tra District-based Hoang Anh Preschool.

During their visit to the Cooperative, the preschool pupils were introduced to ways to keep plants healthy, and to harvest leafy vegetation products, water morning glory, bitter melons and eggplants. In addition to immersing themselves in the agricultural lifestyle of Vietnamese farmers and learning about the cultivation process, they brought home organic agricultural products after their tour ended.

Director of the Cooperative Bui Dung said, over recent years, the Cooperative has welcomed an annual average of between 5,000 and 6,000 domestic and foreign tourists arranged by travel agencies, plus college and university students along with school pupils across the city, to learn how to grow vegetables.

He highlighted the significance of such farm tours in driving the development of Da Nang tourism industry, improving economic efficiency, and increasing farmers' income.

“This tourism model is seen as an effective way to advertise local organic agricultural products meeting the Viet Nam Good Agricultural Practices (VietGap) and One Commune-One Product (OCOP) standards to visitors from both home and overseas, as well as to bring many economic and ecological environmental benefits to local farmers. It has been widely expanded into many vegetable growing areas across Viet Nam",  said Mr Bui Dung.

In attempting to promote the development of ecotourism in association with agriculture, the Cooperative, this year, plans to create closer links with local travel agencies to develop more such farm tours, and boost online advertising on such social media channels as Facebook and Zalo. Additionally, more different kinds of flowers, including butterfly wing and sunflowers, will be planted in the Cooperative.

Besides, one ha in the Cooperative will be earmarked for building net houses for hi-tech vegetable growing. The focus will be also on raising the area of hydroponic vegetable growing to between 1,000 m² and 1,500m².

Also, the Cooperative will plant such fruit trees as guava, breast milk, longan and pomelo on an area of about 1,000m² to satisfy the needs of visitors.  

Similarly, the 9 ha La Huong vegetable growing area, located in Cam Le District's Hoa Tho Dong Ward, has been very attractive to visitors who show their keen interest in farming activities.

Mr Tran Van Hoang, the Director of La Huong Organic Vegetable Production Cooperative, said visitors to the La Huong vegetable growing area had the opportunity to enjoy a natural life and experience different steps of tending to vegetables such as hoeing the soil, sowing the seeds, and harvesting the vegetables.  

Some representatives from Da Nang-based travel agencies stressed the need for dedicated vegetable growing areas across the city to build rest stops, drinking and eating areas, organic vegetable buffet areas, and more in a bid to increase visitor numbers in the city.

Mr Doan Van Hoa, Deputy Head of the Economic Office in Cam Le District, unveiled that, the office is mapping out a plan on developing the La Huong vegetable growing area into an organic agricultural production area combined with experience tourism.

"If the project is approved, the La Huong vegetable growing area will become an highlight to attract more visitors to Cam Le District and Da Nang at large, thereby helping local farmers enjoy higher incomes and develop Cam Le into an urban centre of the city in the future", said Mr Hoa.

By VAN HOANG - Translated by M.D