Countryside markets attract tourists and consume local agricultural products

The women of Tan Thuan Dong island happily serve tourists to enjoy traditional cakes.

Attractive with popular dishes

Ms. Phan Thi My Duyen, resident of Tan Thuan Dong commune, said that this island used to be a remote area, people grew vegetables, fruit trees or went to Tien river to fish for a living; some households went to Binh Duong to work for a living. About 2 years ago, since the rural market was established and thanks to the attention, investment and promotion of the authorities, the number of people coming here has increased, creating a bustling trading scene. "Thanks to the government's attention, my family was able to set up a stall at the rural market to make a living. Accordingly, my aunt and I discussed making traditional Southern cakes to serve the people and tourists who came to the rural market. First, we made banh it, banh phu the, banh da lon... to sell at the rural market for only 5,000 VND/piece; then we cooked shrimp and crab noodles to sell for only 10,000 VND/portion... because the price was affordable, so all the quantity made was sold out. Customers praised the cheap price but the delicious taste and liked it," Ms. Duyen confided.

Showing us the vast Tien River with canals surrounding Tan Thuan Dong Islet, Ms. Le Anh Thu said that there are many mussels here, so she registered with the relevant authorities to prepare mussel porridge to serve tourists coming to the rural market. She washed the mussels to remove all the mud and sand from their shells, then soaked them in salt to release the dirt and washed them many times before boiling and separating the shells; then cooked porridge and sold each pot for only 10,000 VND, surprising tourists. Ms. Thu also prepared grilled mussels and quail eggs, attracting a large number of visitors to enjoy.

Also from local products, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh (Tan Thuan Dong commune) opened a stall selling pancakes with duck, mussels, shrimp... Every early Saturday morning, she is busy making dough and the necessary steps, so that in the early afternoon she can bring them to the countryside market to make delicious pancakes to serve tourists from near and far. Also in this island, Ms. To Hong Nhung and her husband have no land to cultivate, every day she sells coffee to earn a living; her husband works in the garden for the people around. Since the countryside market was established and the commune arranged a stall, the couple has been able to sell refreshing drinks such as cogon root, cold ginseng, grass jelly, basil seeds, cotton gum, peach tea... for 10,000 VND/cup; in addition, they also sell medicinal plants, scratch grass and rice paper. Although the dishes are rustic, many tourists are delighted by the rusticity, simplicity and rich flavor...

Ms. Le Thi Thuy, living in Tri Ton district ( An Giang ) confided: "My family arranged work to visit this island's rural market once. Here, there are many rustic dishes of the West such as grilled snails, field crabs, river fish, traditional cakes... to eat until full but still not satisfied. In addition, we also bought fruits and vegetables grown by the locals to bring back as gifts. The market is located on a river island surrounded by many cool, charming gardens; the rural people are gentle and hospitable. I am really impressed with this rural market.
like this".

Consuming agricultural products and attracting tourists

Talking to reporters, Ms. Nguyen Thi My Chau (residing in Tan Thuan Dong commune) shared that her family has a few hectares of garden growing mangoes, bananas, vegetables of all kinds... mainly for home consumption, when there is a lot, they bring it to Cao Lanh city to sell but the amount of money is not much. Since the rural market has been operating, she has brought home-grown fruits and vegetables to serve and has received enthusiastic response from tourists. Thanks to that, she has a good source of income...

Ms. Huynh Thi Lien, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Tan Thuan Dong Commune, said: "With the support of the People's Committee of Cao Lanh City, after a period of discussion and mobilizing people to participate, in December 2022, Tan Thuan Dong Commune officially opened a rural market with 12 stalls, 24 households selling local specialties, operating from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every Saturday. After that, the rural market gradually expanded and now has more than 67 stalls, with 200 items of local products, rustic dishes loved by tourists". Tan Thuan Dong rural market is creating jobs for more than 200 workers. On average, each stall has a profit of 200,000-400,000 VND, and 1-1.5 million VND (depending on the product) after a market meeting; contributing to helping many rural people have jobs and income to develop family economy...

Tan Thuan Dong Commune People's Committee said that in recent times, the rural market has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from near and far to enjoy and eat local specialties (an average of more than 2,000 visitors per market session), with revenue of tens of billions of VND. However, to achieve the above positive results, the authorities have chosen an area with favorable traffic conditions to build stalls divided equally into two market rows, each row is fully equipped with food, vegetables, and fruits of all kinds, making it easy for visitors to find and buy; small traders are also easy to serve, avoiding competition in buying and selling. The market management board also arranged 6 resting stalls, a row of floors and a large stall on the alluvial land for visitors to sit, enjoy and experience the taste of the countryside, make cakes; listen to traditional music, participate in folk games, compete in boat racing, fly kites, etc.

Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Cao Lanh City - Ho Hue Thu Hang, revealed: "Determining that the rural market will play an important role in attracting tourists to promote the local image, helping to consume agricultural products for the people. Therefore, the functional sector has instructed households participating in the market on how to communicate with tourists warmly and thoughtfully; how to serve cheerfully and enthusiastically; training in tourism skills. For the types of food sold, they must be of good quality, ensuring food hygiene and safety; fruits and vegetables are instructed to be grown according to VietGAP standards... At first, people still had difficulties because they were not used to it, but gradually everything fell into place. Especially, the number of visitors to the rural market is increasing, leading to stalls selling more products, increasing revenue; so the women realized the practical effectiveness, so everyone joined hands to do it well".

According to Ms. Hang, Tan Thuan Dong islet market is recognized by Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee as a community tourism destination and the locality also identifies the task of developing tourism to create jobs for people, contribute to the consumption of agricultural products, increase income, improve life... Therefore, to develop the rural market sustainably and ensure a good environment, the local government requires that all activities at the market when using food and drink containers are self-destructible. At the same time, call for new investment in experiential tourism products; coordinate with organizations and travel companies to connect and promote tours and the image of the rural market more widely; organize tourism events in the area. Invest in more works and expand the area of ​​the rural market to serve the needs of increasingly large numbers of tourists...

Article and photos: PHUOC BINH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/cho-que-thu-hut-khach-du-lich-va-tieu-thu-nong-san-dia-phuong-a185176.html