Unique and unusual tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City.

This summer, Ho Chi Minh City is organizing many large-scale fruit festivals, shifting from selling cheap agricultural products to offering tourism experiences and promoting culture.

From the Southern Fruit Festival at Suoi Tien to the "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" fruit week, hundreds of stalls, floating market spaces, high-tech farms, and Mekong Delta experience activities are transforming fruit into a new tourism product for the city this summer.

They don't just sell cheap fruit.

After more than 20 years of organization, the Southern Vietnam Fruit Festival at Suoi Tien, which was once familiar with the image of specialty fruits being offered at discounted prices to attract visitors in the summer, has now undergone significant changes.

According to the organizers, the 22nd festival, taking place from the end of May to the end of August, will focus more on the experience and product quality rather than competing on price as in the past.

Tourists visit and shop at the Southern Vietnam Fruit Festival held at Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Area during the summer fruit festival season.

Mr. Huynh Dong Tuan, Deputy General Director of Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Joint Stock Company, said that one of the distinguishing features of this year's festival is its focus on bringing high-quality fruits, grown using international technical and technological processes, closer to consumers.

In addition to specialty fruits from various regions, many types of fruits considered high-end, grown at Suoi Tien Farm, will be featured at the festival.

" Previously, we mainly sold cheap specialty fruits, but now we aim for high-quality, traceable products and an enhanced consumer experience, " Mr. Tuan said.

This shift reflects the general trend in Vietnam's agricultural market amidst increasingly stringent export standards, while domestic consumers are also becoming more concerned about quality, farming practices, and food safety.

Visitors can experience fruit picking in the orchard and tour the high-tech agricultural model.

Not only at Suoi Tien, the "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" fruit week in Phu Dinh ward also prioritizes products that meet VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and OCOP standards. More than 230 stalls from Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and the southeastern provinces will participate in the event taking place from June 12-19 along the Binh Dong - Tau Hu canal route.

In addition to the seasonal fruit section, the organizers also set up a "Green Agriculture" area to showcase traceability technology, clean agricultural product preservation, and product consumption connections.

Many types of fruits meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards were showcased at the "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" fruit week.

The festive atmosphere of fruit festivals is also becoming a familiar part of summer in Ho Chi Minh City. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Anh (residing in Binh Trung ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that her family often chooses to go to fruit festivals on weekends instead of going to shopping malls.

“ What my children love most is being able to eat a variety of seasonal fruits and experience the atmosphere of the Mekong Delta right in the city. In recent years, the festival has been more professionally organized, with many cultural activities, so even a whole day of visiting is still enjoyable ,” she said.

Fruit festivals become unique tourist attractions.

A noticeable trend in this year's festivals is the emphasis on tourism experiences rather than just focusing on buying and selling.

At Suoi Tien, many activities are designed to "touristify" agricultural products, such as fruit picking in orchards, cycling to explore farms, fruit buffets, tropical culinary spaces, and high-tech agricultural exhibitions in the heart of the city.

Meanwhile, in Phu Dinh ward, the organizers recreated the "on the docks, under the boats" atmosphere associated with the trading activities of the old Southern Vietnam region with a system of boats, floating markets, and miniature landscapes along the Tau Hu canal.

Activities such as traditional baking, book spaces, and demonstrations of traditional cooking are also included in the program to extend the visitor experience.

According to economist Nguyen Hoang Dung, the continued maintenance and development of fruit festivals shows that Ho Chi Minh City is exploiting regional cultural advantages to develop inner-city tourism products, meeting the increasing demand for short-term experiences among its residents.

" Fruits and agricultural products are no longer just consumer goods; they are now being integrated with the culture, riverine landscape, and lifestyle experiences of the Mekong Delta to create added value for urban tourism ," Mr. Dung remarked.

The specialty fruit space, featuring hundreds of types of agricultural products from various regions, attracts a large number of people in Ho Chi Minh City during the summer.

Modern festivals are no longer simply trade fairs but are gradually becoming a series of cultural and tourism events capable of attracting visitors, stimulating consumption, and promoting the city's image.

In recent years, many export markets have continuously tightened requirements regarding quality, chemical residue levels, traceability, and farming practices. Domestically, competition with imported fruits has also become increasingly fierce.

This forces many localities, businesses, and farmers to change their approach if they want to increase the value of agricultural products. The fact that this year's festivals are unanimously emphasizing clean agriculture, high technology, and consumer experiences shows an effort to shift from selling quantity to "selling value".

Instead of just selling the final product, many farm models are now opening their doors to allow customers to directly observe the planting, caring, and harvesting processes. According to businesses, this hands-on experience makes consumers willing to pay more for quality agricultural products.

Artistic fruit sculptures have become a popular photo spot during festive seasons.

Meanwhile, the trade connection area at the "On the Wharf, Under the Boat" fruit week is expected to support cooperatives, farmers, and businesses in expanding their consumer markets, especially for OCOP products and clean agricultural products.

According to experts, if properly organized and regularly maintained, fruit festivals not only create outlets for agricultural products but also contribute to building a cultural brand for Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern region.

The simultaneous emergence of numerous large-scale fruit festivals shows that Ho Chi Minh City is gradually transforming regional agricultural products and culture into distinctive summer tourism products.

Besides creating more recreational space for the people, these events also expand the market for orchards, promote Vietnamese fruit brands, and contribute to preserving the cultural values ​​of the Southern Vietnamese waterways amidst modern urban life.

NGUYEN LIEN

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/dac-san-du-lich-doc-la-o-tp-hcm-ar1019713.html