Bac Ninh Fruit Festival 2025: Connecting agriculture with services and tourism

BAC NINH - The Bac Ninh Fruit Festival 2025, held from December 5th to 10th at the Central Square of Chu Ward, has concluded, but its impact continues to resonate strongly. With hundreds of thousands of visitors and a total value of signed contracts and transactions reaching tens of billions of VND, it demonstrates the significant growth of local agricultural products and affirms a new approach to developing the agricultural economy in conjunction with services and tourism after the province's merger.

Agricultural products increase in value, opening up new opportunities for the market.

This year's festival continues to be a "stage" for Bac Ninh's agricultural products to showcase their quality and affirm their position in the market. More than just a seasonal sales event, the 2025 festival demonstrates a new organizational mindset: standardization, transparency, and increased technological content.

Customers shopping at the Bac Ninh Fruit Festival 2025. Photo: Danh Lam.

Most exhibition booths were more professionally designed than in previous seasons. Many cooperatives invested in QR codes for traceability, live streaming, and integrated cashless payment. This professionalism helps consumers clearly see the transformation of Bac Ninh's agriculture towards modernization. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, commented that this year's festival marks a shift from selling to establishing market relationships. "We have observed many distribution businesses and large retail systems coming to directly survey the growing areas and discuss cooperation opportunities. This is an important signal showing that when agricultural products have a story and clear standards, the ability to enter modern supply chains is expanded," Mr. Phuong said.

The perspective from the orchard owners also clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the festival. Mr. Vi Van Khuong, owner of a citrus orchard spanning over 2 hectares in Dong Nam village (Luc Ngan commune), said that after the event, many groups of visitors came to his orchard to inspect the care process and negotiate long-term orders. “Today’s customers prioritize transparency and safety. When they can see and hear things firsthand, they trust us more and are willing to commit long-term,” Mr. Khuong shared.

Besides fresh fruit, OCOP (One Commune One Product) products also have great appeal. Nam Nui Danh ginseng, Chu noodles, Tan Yen guava bud tea, Thanh Hai dried lychees, Huong Son pineapple tea, and many new processed products attract many visitors. However, experts note that for these products to become strong brands, they need a scientific identification strategy, modern packaging, and consistent communication, avoiding the "each place has its own style" situation as before.

However, many people also regretted that the exhibition booths did not feature many businesses and organizations showcasing and introducing technologies for fruit care, preservation, and processing; famous craft villages; cooperatives; and travel agencies. This festival also clearly revealed limitations in cold chain logistics, large-scale processing and packaging centers, and the ability to sign long-term consumption contracts. This is a "bottleneck" not only for Bac Ninh but also for many fruit-growing localities, and needs to be prioritized in the agricultural restructuring strategy.

Rural tourism thrives on real-life experiences.

While agricultural products generated impressive consumption figures, agritourism in the countryside proves that agriculture can become an attractive experiential product. During the week of the event, the number of visitors to the Central Square and the orange and pomelo orchards in Chu Ward and surrounding areas increased two to three times compared to the same period last year, estimated at over 200,000 tourists.

Foreign tourists visit a pomelo orchard in Chu ward. Photo: The Dai.

Many orchards have had to add tour guides, photo areas, fruit tasting areas, and sell processed products to meet customer demand. The model of "each orchard as a mini tourist destination" has become more evident than ever.

Mr. Pham Hong Long, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chu Ward, believes that orchard tourism is a suitable direction for a large orchard area like Chu Ward and some neighboring communes and wards. "Tourists not only want to buy oranges and pomelos but also want to explore the life of orchard owners. This is an opportunity for the ward to develop a community tourism model, creating sustainable livelihoods for farmers," Mr. Long stated. However, according to Mr. Long, a drawback is that the roads leading to some orchards are still narrow, affecting the movement of vehicles carrying tourists. He hopes that in the future, the province will consider licensing electric vehicle services in the ward and surrounding areas.

One of the highlights of this year's festival was arguably the free shuttle service provided by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism throughout the event. The two pick-up points at 3/2 Square and Bac Ninh Museum No. 2 quickly became popular, with many trips fully booked shortly after registration. Ms. Phan Thi Thu, a worker at the Quang Chau Industrial Park, said the program made workers feel cared for. Meanwhile, Ms. Do Thu Ha, a visitor from Thuan Thanh ward, commented that the combination of self-drive and free shuttle service made things "easier for the whole family, especially with young children."

According to the organizers, thousands of visitors registered for free transportation during the five days of the festival. On December 7th alone, additional vehicles had to be deployed to ensure that all people were served. Despite the significant organizational costs, the free transportation program scored points for its humane, civilized approach and its alignment with the goal of optimizing the tourism experience.

In the long term, if this model is maintained, it will help standardize the approach to destinations, reduce traffic congestion, lessen pressure on infrastructure, and expand the number of participants, especially the elderly and low-income workers. However, Mr. Tran The Dan from Nam Giang 2 residential area (Bac Giang ward) expressed: "To make the free bus transportation for the people more effective, at the next festival, the organizing committee should assign more staff to monitor and check the attendance of passengers boarding the buses to avoid congestion and delays in departure times."

The Bac Ninh Fruit Festival 2025 has concluded, but its impact remains, opening up a more complete picture of the locality's direction in the new phase. Agricultural products have been enhanced in value, garden tourism has made its mark, OCOP (One Commune One Product) has expanded market opportunities, and digital transformation has permeated every booth and service activity. More importantly, the event has highlighted what needs to be done: Building the Festival into a prestigious annual event, a meeting point for high-quality agricultural products, innovation, and integration; promoting deep processing, strengthening modern supply chains, continuing to standardize products, investing in logistics, improving the quality of tourism services, and maintaining humane models such as free shuttle services.

If these measures are implemented consistently, Bac Ninh has the potential to transform the Fruit Festival from just an annual event into a strategic platform for sustainable economic and service development, creating a unique identity on the agricultural and tourism map of Northern Vietnam.

Do Thanh Nam

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/le-hoi-trai-cay-bac-ninh-2025-gan-ket-nong-nghiep-with-dich-vu-du-lich-postid433056.bbg