Oc Eo longan

The shift towards gardening or developing ecotourism often originates from experienced farmers. Nguyen Thanh Dang (28 years old), residing in Oc Eo commune, proves that when young people have the mindset, aspirations, and ideals, they will certainly succeed.

Amidst the golden sunshine of the Mekong Delta, Thanh Dang's longan orchard, located in Hamlet 16, Tan Hiep A village, Oc Eo commune, is filled with the fragrant aroma of ripening longan. Dang has chosen to embrace the trend: developing ecotourism right on his own land. This is the third season he has implemented this model, allowing visitors to tour and sample longan directly from the orchard. For him, it's not just about selling fruit, but about "selling" an experience, a relaxing space, helping visitors feel a moment of peace. The unique aspect of his longan orchard is his "zone-based service" approach. Instead of letting the entire orchard ripen at once, putting pressure on sales, Dang divides the orchard into sections to apply different techniques for staggered fruiting.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dang tends to his orchard laden with longan fruit. Photo: Phuong Lan.

Mr. Dang shared: “When this section runs out of fruit, we will continue planting in the next section. In this way, the 22-acre longan orchard can serve visitors from the Lunar New Year to the April 30th holiday every year.” Thanks to this scientific approach, visitors can come to visit at various times of the year without worrying about a shortage of ripe longans to enjoy. Mr. Dang said that he can manage the orchard to bear fruit year-round, but he has to stop harvesting during the rainy season because there are very few visitors then. Ripe fruit that isn't harvested in time will fall off, significantly reducing revenue. Therefore, choosing to plant longans during the dry months is a carefully calculated decision.

The entrance fee is only 35,000 VND per person. Here, visitors can pick their own bunches of fresh, plump, juicy longan fruit. What could be more delightful than enjoying the sweet taste of longan under the lush green trees, listening to the harmonious sounds of nature? “Some visitors, because they were so delighted, picked really big bunches and ate until they were completely full. Visitors can eat as much as they like on the spot, but if they want to take some home, they have to pay separately based on market price, about 35,000 VND per kilogram. Of course, visitors are free to choose the bunches of longan they like best,” Mr. Dang happily recounted.

To better serve guests, the orchard owner has also provided many hammocks and sets of tables and chairs under the trees, completely free of charge for guests to relax. Guests can bring their own food and drinks or enjoy light snacks such as fried fish balls and soft drinks provided by the orchard. This comfortable and friendly atmosphere makes the longan orchard not only a place to eat but also an ideal picnic spot for families and groups of friends on holidays and weekends.

When asked about the economic benefits, Mr. Dang frankly shared that developing orchard tourism brings more promising and stable profits compared to selling to traders. According to him, the price of longan sold to traders is often volatile, fluctuating from 15,000 to 30,000 VND/kg depending on the time of year. In particular, labor costs when selling to traders are very high. “Back then, I sold several tons of longan, and the cost of hiring workers to pick, sort, and pack them into boxes amounted to over a dozen people – it was very expensive,” Mr. Dang said. Meanwhile, with the tourism model, visitors harvest and enjoy the fruit themselves, helping orchard owners save a considerable amount on labor costs.

Despite its clear effectiveness, Mr. Dang also admitted that this model still has risks such as unstable visitor numbers, and the lychees ripening too quickly and falling off or losing quality. Once opened for visitors to pick and eat, it will be difficult for traders to buy back the entire crop because the lychee clusters will no longer be as uniform and beautiful as they were initially. Therefore, choosing to manage the lychee production in designated areas to attract visitors is a carefully calculated approach by the orchard owner.

Although she lives in Vinh Trach commune, when she heard that Mr. Dang's longan orchard was open to visitors, Ms. Phuong Dung (30 years old) immediately brought her family to visit. "What I like most is that visitors can eat the fruit right in the orchard, unlike some other eco-tourism gardens. Actually, most tourists only eat a few fruits to try the taste, not many; they mainly buy them to take home for relatives and friends," Ms. Dung shared.

The Thanh Dang longan orchard not only brings in a good income but also contributes to promoting the image of the Oc Eo region, which is changing day by day. Located within the "arc" connected to the Oc Eo - Ba The National Special Historical Site, the longan orchard is a stopover point with a strong local character. With proper investment planning, this place could completely become an ideal "meeting point," awakening the outstanding ecotourism potential of the locality.

PHUONG LAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/huong-nhan-oc-eo-a472422.html