As the longan orchards in the northern province of Hưng Yên enter the harvest season, local farmers have thrown open their gates to welcome not only traders but also tourists from far and wide. This initiative has boosted their income and helped promote the province’s prized speciality.

One of the busiest orchards these days is that of the Quyết Thắng Specialty Fruit Cooperative in Tân Hưng Commune. The idea of offering tourists the chance to pick and taste longans on the spot came from director of the cooperative Trần Văn Mý.

It struck him after numerous visits to southern provinces, where farmers have developed experiential tourism in a well-organised way. Meanwhile, this form of tourism is yet to take off in Hưng Yên, the 'capital of longan.'

In 2020, he sought permission from local authorities to launch 'Zero-Cost' tours that allow tourists to visit and experience a day working as local farmers. His first visitors were locals but soon, many groups of both Vietnamese and foreigners have also arrived. His orchard is open daily from 8am to 6pm during the longan harvest season. Visitors can enjoy free tastings of longan and take nice photos, and if they wish to buy, the owner will cut and sell the fruit on-site.

Mý said the cooperative publicly shared their phone number online and enhanced their promotion of information and images about the longan season on social media platforms to attract visitors. As a result, there has been a significant increase in tourists to the locality, especially on weekends.

Among the regular tourists to Tân Hưng Commune during the longan harvest season are Nguyễn Thành Độ and his friends from Hà Nội. According to them, picking and tasting the ripe longan right from the orchard left them with unforgettable memories.

“We have visited many longan-growing regions, but always come back to Hưng Yên because the variety and quality of longan here are unmatched. The experience of harvesting and savouring the delicious fruit right on the spot is truly wonderful,” Độ said.

Building quality tourism product

Welcoming visitors to experience the ripe longan season is a new form of tourism for farmers in Hưng Yên. This approach serves as an effective channel for promoting and introducing local products, gradually bringing Hưng Yên’s speciality closer to consumers both domestically and internationally.

“The influx of customers to the orchards is a positive sign,” said Bùi Xuân Sử, Deputy Director of the Nễ Châu Longan Cooperative in Tân Hưng Commune.

“Currently, 5 out of 18 hectares of longans in the cooperative are grown organically. This season, in addition to welcoming visitors, the cooperative has also exported several orders to the European market, bringing great joy to the local community,” he added.

Director of the Global Food Import-Export Joint Stock Company Nguyễn Đức Hưng believes that quality products lead to successful tourism. Instead of focusing on quantity, farmers in Hưng Yên should concentrate on quality and consistently apply safe production processes such as VietGAP and GlobalGAP.

Certified products with traceability not only ensure consumer safety but also serve as a 'passport' to enter major supermarkets and demanding export markets, where prices are often higher and more stable.

Locals should also leverage social media platforms and e-commerce sites to promote their products, he added. For instance, an engaging story about the clean longan cultivation process or a cheerful harvesting video can attract many customers.

Director of the Hưng Yên Provincial Tourism Promotion Centre Nguyễn Thị Sen said the locality would develop various tourism products related to local life and agricultural production activities, as well as develop souvenir products and specialties.

Farmers are encouraged to continue improving quality and cultivating organically, ensuring food safety and hygiene and maintaining green, clean and beautiful orchards to promote sustainable tourism linked to environmental protection.

The province’s tourism sector will continue to focus on training human resources, promoting advertising, and connecting tours and routes with destinations within the province.

Emphasis will be placed on developing high-quality, diverse, and distinctive agricultural and rural tourism products that offer experiential value and high added value, reflecting regional features.

“This will contribute to making Hưng Yên tourism a unique and novel destination, becoming an important economic sector for the province,” Sen noted. VNS