80 sites for rural tourism

For a long period, Dong Thap was well-known for the variety of agricultural tourism forms and products, including tours to coconut and fruiter gardens, experiences living with locals and participating in activities with them, sightseeing and experiences in traditional craft villages, and traditional dishes associated with fields, gardens, fruit trees, and ornamental flowers...

Dong Thap authorities have introduced up to 80 community and agricultural tourism attractions around the province to planning and investment for development. Dong Thap views tourism as the primary industry for developing the local economy and establishing new rural development.

Sa Dec ornamental flower tourism is the largest of its kind in the Mekong Delta, which has been termed the west's second Da Lat. The village's around 624 hectares are covered with flowers of hundreds of species throughout the year.

The Sa Dec authorities are encouraging business establishments in the flower village to invest in infrastructure, establishing entertainment destinations and services that combine tourism sightseeing destinations and services such as Ngoi nha Hoa ech Homestay, Phong-Le Vent Homestay, Flower Observatory Station, Hai Cao ornamental flower garden, Bot village, Rose field, Happy Land Hung Thy amusement park... These locations have attracted a sizable number of tourists. Sa Dec has drawn roughly 5 million tourists since 2016, including around 200,000 international visitors.

According to the Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the decorative flower sector has been one of the five mainstay industries on Dong Thap, which has been picked for agricultural restructuring. Although flowers are cultivated only in Sa Dec city, the province invests in infrastructure for the Sa Dec flower village and the establishment of a Center for High-Tech Agricultural Application to undertake research and transmit high-tech agricultural application procedures. Particularly decorative flower types, the process of planting, caring for, harvesting, conserving and preserving flowers, as well as eco-tourism. Each year, the Center provides between 200,000 and 300,000 flower seedlings with 16 different types of tissue transplants.

Additionally, the province restructures the ornamental flower sector into agricultural and rural tourism-related specialized farming areas. At the moment, four cooperatives and six unions have been formed, bridging the gap between farmers and enterprises.

Mr. Thien estimates that the decorative flower sector earns roughly VND 5,000 billion in revenue yearly. Dong Thap province initiates the Sa Dec Culture and Tourism Village project, which includes the creation of a new rural region of 510 hectares. With a total cost of roughly VND 600 billion, this project focuses on two major regions of Sa Dec Flower Village in two clumps, Tan Hiep and Tan My, in Tan Quy Dong district.

In early 2021, Sa Dec City opened the Dong Thap Ornamental Flower Trade Center in Tan Khanh Dong commune, which covers an area of more than 4.2 hectares and contributes to the local economy.

A visit that will leave you with unforgettable memories

Mr. Doan Tan Buu, Deputy Chairman of the Dong Thap People's Committee, explained that during the development process, the province prioritized clean agriculture, high-tech application, and organic agriculture to promote agricultural tourist goods with a community connection.

Currently, visitors prefer to visit farming households and fruiter gardens in addition to discovering Dong Thap's cultural significance. This contributes to the extension of the value chain, the enhancement of agricultural value, the creation of additional jobs in rural regions, and the provision of steady income for farmers.

According to Mr. Buu, while Dong Thap established this sort of tourism later than other Mekong Delta provinces, the community-made numerous attempts and originally gained some fairly favorable outcomes.

In particular, the immense lotus fields in Dong Sen Thap Muoi (Thap Muoi district) must be mentioned. Initially, only five households exploited this type of tourism experience, canoeing to admire the lotus fields and fishing, as well as enjoying local cuisine featuring numerous lotus dishes. However, more than ten households now participate in this type of tourism exploitation.

Following the success of homeowners with orange and tangerine gardens in Lai Vung district, who bravely opened their doors to welcome tourists. At the moment, hundreds of mandarin orange attractions and mandarin orange gardens are being utilized to offer visitors. Since their inception, the orange and tangerine gardens in the area have welcomed and served over 75,000 guests, generating around VND 24 billion in income.

The most successful model, however, is Sa Dec's "Flower City of the Southern Region," which features model gardens, a flower museum, and hundreds of gorgeous and odd blooms that are well-known both locally and internationally. As in 2019 and 2020, the number of tourists in Sa Dec city exceeded one million, including 40,786 overseas visitors.

Businesses and communities throughout the province have also boldly collaborated with numerous travel companies to develop quite appealing tourism programs such as "Experience a day of farming," "Experience the floating season of fishermen in Dong Thap Muoi," "Spring colors of Dong Thap," "One job a day," and "Walking in the green of the orchard."

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan recently paid a visit to the Long Hau Society's headquarters in Lai Vung district (Dong Thap province), which serves as the gateway for visitors visiting the persimmon garden during the Lunar New Year 2022. It is a gathering place for volunteer, like-minded farmers to share knowledge and expertise about production in order to increase the value and consumption of their products.

Translated by Linh Linh