Farmers in the Mekong Delta transform their gardens into Tet 'check-in' spots.

In Dong Thap province , as Tet approaches, Phan Van Sang's Ba Lien pink tangerine orchard in Lai Vung district is still bustling with hundreds of visitors coming to admire the scenery and take photos.

At the same time, many other orchard owners in the district were still scrambling to find traders to sell their tangerines.

Three years ago, Sang had the idea of ​​developing his family's mandarin orange orchard into an ecotourism destination after realizing that the orchards laden with ripe, golden fruit would be an ideal "check-in" spot during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). He discussed it with his family and then implemented a trial on their 3.3-hectare orchard.

After investments in infrastructure, garden pathways, and landscaping features such as lotus ponds, monkey bridges, and gourd trellises, the Ba Lien pink tangerine garden officially opened its doors to visitors from Tet 2022.

Mr. Phan Van Sang, owner of the Ba Lien pink tangerine garden tourist attraction, developed his family's tangerine garden into a tourist destination. Photo: Provided by the subject .

From just a few individual visitors initially, through media, social networks, and positive feedback from tourists, the number of visitors gradually increased in subsequent years, including large groups from Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and Hanoi .

To date, the Ba Lien pink tangerine orchard welcomes an average of 350 visitors each weekend, and about 100 visitors on weekdays. The orchard starts welcoming visitors from December until around the 29th of the Lunar New Year, when it closes to allow traders to pick tangerines.

Currently, Sang's main source of income comes from selling entrance tickets (50,000 VND per person) combined with selling fruit to individual visitors. "I've dedicated 4 acres (4,000 m2) specifically for selling to visitors," Sang said. "At the beginning of the season, the estimated yield was about 16 tons, and customers have already bought more than 6 tons."

Because it's a tourist attraction, Sang prioritizes the use of biological products and organic fertilizers in the cultivation process, while also ensuring sufficient waiting time before welcoming visitors.

"Organically grown pink tangerines are tastier, sweeter, and have a more appealing color," Sang said. "Improving the quality of fruit for tourists benefits me as well."

Mr. Sang said that previously, tangerine farmers in Lai Vung district only sold to traders, which inevitably led to price manipulation during harvest season. In addition, rising fertilizer and pesticide costs, along with rampant diseases, caused many orchards to struggle. By choosing to develop eco-tourism, combining it with selling local products and providing food and drinks, his family's tangerine orchard has yielded a better income than before.

"I have just converted 15,000 square meters of low-yielding mandarin orange and sweet tangerine orchards to pink tangerine orchards," Sang shared.

Mr. Truong Le Huy Hoang, owner of the "check-in" spot Thach Thao Glamping, came up with the idea of ​​transforming a 1,000 m2 heather garden into a tourist destination. Photo: Provided by the subject.

These days, Thach Thao Glamping, a "check-in" spot in Sa Dec City owned by 36-year-old Truong Le Huy Hoang, is also attracting hundreds of visitors every weekend.

On an area of ​​10,000 square meters, Mr. Hoang planted more than 120,000 heather plants. He personally sourced the seeds from Da Lat to ensure a standard, disease-free seed supply. "The flowers bloom after 3.5 months. Heather retains its color well and can bloom for up to 1.5 months before wilting," Mr. Hoang shared.

Besides selling tickets to tourists (30,000 VND per person), Mr. Hoang also sells potted flowers, cut flowers, and wreaths to customers who need them. The tourist attraction brings Mr. Hoang a good income in the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) when many tourists flock to the "flower and ornamental plant capital of the Mekong Delta" to visit.

"With traditional flower cultivation, gardeners are completely dependent on traders. However, combining flower cultivation with tourism will help increase income for garden owners and avoid being pressured into accepting low prices," Mr. Hoang shared.

After the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, he plans to expand his services to include camping and homestay accommodations combined with healing tourism for visitors. "Combining flower cultivation with tourism will reduce the risks associated with selling flowers and ornamental plants," Hoang concluded. "In the future, if the results are positive, I will adjust the planting schedule so that the heather plants are grown in rotation in the fields, allowing us to serve tourists year-round."

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Nghia, chairman of Lai Vung district, the locality currently has 10 mandarin orange orchards that have been converted into tourist attractions.

Recently, the district authorities have encouraged the model of farmers engaging in tourism, combining visits to orchards with experiences of cultural and historical values ​​and traditional crafts, contributing to increased profits for farmers.

"This year, the number of visitors to the pink tangerine orchards increased by about 50,000 people, proving that the development of orchard tourism, ecotourism combined with traditional cultural values, is on the right track," Mr. Nghia said.

Trong Nhan

Source: https://vnexpress.net/nong-dan-mien-tay-bien-vuon-thanh-diem-check-in-tet-4709071.html