Leveraging advantages through experiential tourism.

In recent years, several models of community-based ecotourism cooperatives have emerged in Thai Nguyen province, exploiting the advantages of local culture, organic agriculture, and developing the potential and strengths of the locality. Among the cooperatives that have effectively developed this type of service, the Lang Hao Huc Agricultural Tourism Cooperative in Hamlet 7, Dai Phuc Commune, is a shining example.

Foreign tourists are very fond of organic tea.

The Village of Eagerness was built in 2020. According to Mr. Vu Duc Thanh, Director of the Village of Eagerness Agricultural Tourism Cooperative, the village's name is associated with childhood memories of eagerly waiting for gifts whenever grandmothers and mothers returned from the market.

After graduating from high school and studying abroad in the US, longing for family and childhood memories were always present in him. From the idea of ​​recreating Northern Vietnamese culture with thatched-roof, mud-walled houses, Mr. Thanh established a cooperative with the desire to bring to tourists, especially children, experiences of the childhood that their parents and grandparents once had.

The Lang Hao Huc Agricultural Tourism Cooperative boasts a convenient location, less than a 10-minute walk from Nui Coc Lake. Spanning over 14 hectares, the site is surrounded by lush, green natural forests year-round. This provides a refreshing and ideal retreat for children to experience nature.

After nearly 7 years of construction and development, the number of tourists coming for relaxation and experiences has been steadily increasing. By 2025, the cooperative expects to welcome approximately 1,500 visitors, with foreign tourists accounting for 40%.

In the first four months of this year, the cooperative attracted over 300 visitors, mainly international tourists, for accommodation and experiences. This also serves as a foundation for the cooperative to continue building a similar facility in Dong Phuc commune, Thai Nguyen province, where the Shan Tuyet tea tree, a rare and precious ancient tea variety, has a long history of association with the local ethnic communities.

Based on the local culture and natural conditions, the cooperative develops tourism products suitable for each customer group. The highest priority is given to children. Here, children can participate in experiential summer camps, develop survival skills, explore nature, learn about local culture and history, and engage in arts, sports, and life skills activities.

The second group consists of families, who often choose to return to the village on weekends or holidays to enjoy rural cuisine and participate in familiar activities of the Northern Vietnamese countryside such as fishing, rice planting, and buffalo herding.

With these products, over the past three years, the cooperative has also welcomed many foreign tourists who regularly come to experience the local culture. Most visitors want to learn about life in Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s. Here, they can stay in thatched-roof houses with mud walls and enjoy traditional dishes such as rice mixed with potatoes, grilled meat, and pickled figs.

Many tourists express delight at discovering the rustic and unspoiled cultural features that are still preserved in Vietnam. This is also a unique attraction of the Village of Excitement for international visitors.

Tourists are delighted to enjoy traditional Vietnamese rice dishes and other dishes made with green tea.

With a systematic approach, in 2024, the Lang Hao Huc Agricultural Tourism Cooperative was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a tourist destination and achieved OCOP 4-star certification in the service sector.

Ms. Nguyen Hoai Thu, residing on Nguyen Viet Xuan Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, shared: "At the Village of Excitement, the space is very green and refreshing. Visitors can participate in many interesting activities. My family chose this place for our children to experience on weekends. Through activities with their peers, the children become more independent in their daily lives and gain more knowledge about nature and animals."

In addition to focusing on improving the quality of tourism products, the Lang Hao Huc Agricultural Tourism Cooperative also strengthens links with households in the area. Since 2022, the cooperative has collaborated with surrounding households and local authorities to develop a community-based agricultural tourism model.

Currently, the cooperative collaborates with more than 10 households to provide various services such as tea picking and processing; and experiences like stand-up paddleboarding, fishing, and BBQ grilling on islands along the lake for households engaged in seafood businesses.

In 2026, the cooperative will continue to develop several more distinctive tea-based products, most notably the afternoon tea program. Here, visitors can enjoy local specialties and tea prepared by locals using 100% organic ingredients.

During meals, visitors can also enjoy dishes associated with tea, such as pork wrapped in tea leaves, fish cakes wrapped in green tea leaves, and chicken steamed with green tea leaves. All ingredients are grown, cared for, and processed by local people using traditional recipes. Many people also buy tea as gifts and have given positive feedback about Dai Phuc tea. This is an opportunity for the cooperative to continue developing organic tea products under the Dai Phuc brand.

Thai Nguyen currently has over 60 cooperatives operating in the fields of tourism and agriculture linked to tourism development. Participation in tourism activities, such as the model of the Lang Hao Huc Agricultural Tourism Cooperative, has contributed to diversifying products, increasing income for members and farmers, and promoting the shift in economic structure from purely agricultural production to a combination of agricultural and service industries.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/du-lich-thai-nguyen/202605/khai-thac-loi-the-bang-du-lich-trai-nghiem-0935626/