The "golden season" for residents of the flood-affected areas of the Mekong Delta.

AN GIANG: Every flood season, residents in the upstream areas of the Mekong River are busy welcoming nature's bounty. The alluvial waters bring many benefits and opportunities for developing agricultural tourism.

Increase revenue from freshwater fish stocks.

From June to October in the lunar calendar, when the Mekong River's upstream waters bring silt to the Mekong Delta, the people of Dong Thap and An Giang provinces are busy harvesting the bounty of the flood season. For them, the flood season is not only a time of abundant fish and shrimp but also an opportunity to improve their fields, helping the land recover and maintaining sustainable agricultural traditions.

Farmers in Dong Thap are eager to harvest freshwater fish during the flood season. Photo: Kim Anh.

Exactly one year after my return to the Quyet Tien Ecological Agricultural Production Cooperative in Long An A hamlet, Phu Tho commune (Dong Thap province), I was struck by the gloomy atmosphere of the previous flood season. This year, the water level is high, and fish and shrimp are abundant.

It was past 10 a.m., the fields were full of water, and the sound of fish splashing in the water echoed as Mr. Nguyen Thien Thuat, Deputy Director of Quyet Tien Cooperative, pulled up the nets.

The community-based fish storage model implemented by the Quyet Tien Cooperative over the past two years during the flood season has proven effective, yielding abundant fish and providing farmers with profits comparable to those from three months of rice cultivation. It is estimated that since the beginning of the flood season, the five cooperative member households participating in the fishing activities have earned approximately 120-130 million VND.

Mr. Thuật recounted: “Initially, persuading the villagers to agree to implement the community fish storage model was not easy at all. Some households specializing in traditional fishing opposed it, even cursing. But when they saw the fields full of fish and income many times higher than the old fishing methods, everyone began to believe and participate.”

The Quyet Tien Cooperative has successfully developed a community-based fish farming model combined with ecotourism during the flood season. Photo: Kim Anh.

From an initial 20-hectare trial, the model has now expanded to 170 hectares. Fish are released into natural rice paddies, ensuring ecological balance while providing a stable income for the community. In addition, the cooperative has partnered with businesses to produce 20 hectares of organic rice and 100 hectares of rice grown according to the standards of the "1 Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice" project, reducing emissions. This approach helps preserve the natural ecosystem, allowing rice and fish to thrive together, generating income for the local people.

Looking ahead, the cooperative will establish a community-based fishing group to manage fishing activities, ensuring the rights and responsibilities of local people. From the profits earned, the cooperative will create a fund to regenerate aquatic resources (buy fish fry) and support disadvantaged households in the area.

Notably, over the past year, the Quyet Tien Cooperative has also developed an eco-tourism model in the flooded rice fields, generating a significant additional income (accounting for approximately 20% of total revenue). The number of visitors to the Quyet Tien Cooperative reaches around 500-600, mainly individual travelers who learned about the cooperative through social media.

Here, visitors can experience picking water hyacinth flowers, picking carambola, setting traps, removing snares, raising eels, or untangling nets… Each experience allows visitors to feel the rhythm of life in the Mekong Delta and the connection between people and nature.

Locals consider the 2025 flood season to be a beautiful one, bringing abundant resources. Photo: Kim Anh.

Mr. Thuật emphasized that the cooperative's approach is to proceed step by step, without rushing to expand. Currently, the cooperative mainly produces safe rice and provides agricultural services, with tourism being a supplementary activity to exploit the value of the flood season. "To develop an eco-tourism model, the cooperative needs the genuine participation of its members as well as the resources of young people to operate the model. With the profits earned, the cooperative will continue to invest in expansion each year, ensuring the sustainable development of the model," Mr. Thuật stated.

The windy season is coming...

In Co To commune (An Giang province), young man Dinh Hoang Tinh (born in 1994) has transformed his childhood experiences in the rice fields and during the flood season into a unique agricultural tourism project with a cafe model called "The Wind Rises." From the perspective of a tourism professional, Hoang Tinh wants to preserve the values ​​of his homeland in the context of modern development.

He confided that, growing up, he was familiar with the scent of rice and young rice seedlings, with the days spent rowing boats to cast nets and catch fish, picking water hyacinth flowers during the flood season, with summer days flying kites after the harvest, or the noisy sounds of ducks running across the fields throughout the countryside... These impressions inspired him to come up with the idea of ​​capturing the essence of rural life in contemporary society.

Tourists experience the flooded rice fields at the "Windy Season" restaurant in Co To commune (An Giang province). Photo: Kim Anh.

On his family's approximately 2,000 square meter farmland, this young man has created vibrant landscapes suited to each distinct season. During the rice season, visitors can stroll and take photos on a path through the lush green rice paddies. During the flood season, they can paddle boats, cast nets, catch fish, and pick water hyacinth flowers… All are designed to connect people with nature while also creating jobs for local residents.

The name "Season of Rising Winds" also carries special meaning. Seasons never end, representing the cyclical nature of life and nature. In the mountainous region of Co To, the southwest wind shifts to the northeast, the rainy season gives way to the rice season... all creating a vibrant rhythm of the countryside.

With 10 years of experience in the tourism industry, Hoang Tinh has observed the transformation of his hometown, An Giang. With the roads being paved and travel becoming more convenient, he sees this as an opportunity to develop tourism. Although not located on a major road, he believes it will attract young tourists and motorbike travelers. Especially during the flood season, it offers a unique experience for many domestic and international tourists visiting the Mekong Delta.

Co To Mountain is part of the Thất Sơn Seven Mountains range in An Giang province. During the flood season, the foot of the mountain is a vast expanse of water teeming with natural resources, and each evening the sunset creates an incredibly vibrant scene.

Visitors come here not only to admire the scenery and take photos, but also to experience the life of the local people through activities such as rowing boats, setting fishing nets, catching fish, picking water hyacinth flowers, removing fish traps, and setting fish traps… All of these are organized by Hoang Tinh based on the actual conditions and the support of the local people. Hoang Tinh is also willing to rent land to the locals free of charge so that the rice fields can create a landscape, fostering a symbiotic relationship between tourism and agriculture.

During the rice harvest season, the rice fields become a truly unique tourist attraction. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Hoang Tinh shared: "No matter how beautiful a painting is, if there's no one to admire it with, it's just an ordinary scene. When the 'Seasonal Wind' cafe opened, I invited friends to relax and recharge, and I felt happy."

Thanks to the support of the local people, from renting out boats and canoes, setting fishing nets… to assisting tourists in experiencing daily life, tourism activities have been quite smooth. "The flood season is less frequent now than before, but for us, the absence of the flood season means missing a part of the soul of our homeland," Hoang Tinh confided.

However, expanding the model still faces many difficulties due to the limited availability of professional tourism services in the area. Accommodation is also a major challenge, as there are not many facilities that meet the required standards. Hoang Tinh plans to utilize existing spaces and equip them with necessary amenities so that tourists can experience authentic local life.

In the context of modern development, agricultural tourism has become attractive to many tourists. Photo: Kim Anh.

Hoang Tinh also aims to develop more areas for experiential activities outside the fields and accommodation and camping amidst nature, minimizing plastic use and prioritizing wooden, ceramic, and earthenware items to create a close and friendly atmosphere.

Currently, the monsoon season has attracted many tourists to An Giang, especially on weekends. Revenue ranges from 1-2 million VND per day, and can reach 2-3 million VND per day on weekends. Most tourists travel independently by motorbike from An Giang and other provinces to experience and explore freely.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/mua-vang-cua-cu-dan-dau-nguon-d783254.html