Exploiting agricultural tourism, connecting sea - forest
A prominent strength of the Central Highlands is its rich agriculture, producing typical agricultural products such as coffee (Gia Lai), pepper, durian and macadamia (Dak Lak), and Bao Loc tea (Lam Dong). These agricultural products are not only of export value but also contain stories about cultivation culture and lifestyle closely associated with land, climate and local people.
Mr. Le Dinh Tu - owner of Aeroco Coffee farm - is known as a "Coffee Dining" in Dak Lak. Owning a private coffee brand that wants to tell the story of Central Highlands specialties, since 2018, he has developed a coffee garden tourism model to tell the story of Central Highlands specialties - giving visitors to participate in experiencing the processing stages and enjoying finished products right at the farm.
Mr. Tu said that the early years of his startup coincided with the pandemic period, so he encountered many difficulties.
However, by the end of 2024 - early 2025, the number of visitors to the farm had increased about 7-8 times compared to 2018. Mr. Tu's farm is increasingly attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists, from China, Korea, Cambodia... to Europe.
This model creates a different experience and raises the value of Central Highlands coffee to the international market. After participating in the processing stages themselves, many international customers buy products to bring back to their country, contributing to revenue and brand promotion.
Not far away, in Ea Knuek commune (Dak Lak), during the ripe durian season, households of the Clean Agricultural Service Cooperative welcomed many groups of visitors to visit, learn about the farming process and enjoy fruit right in the garden.
Mr. Mai Dinh Tho, Chairman of the Cooperative's Board of Directors, said that each year, the Cooperative welcomes about 10,000 visitors to visit, experience and buy durian, most of whom are Chinese tourists.
In addition, many foreign groups and domestic youth come to relax, immerse themselves in nature and experience life with local farmers.
Not only in Dak Lak, the agricultural tourism model proves its strong appeal and is increasingly developing in Lam Dong. Especially Da Lat, where strawberry, green vegetable, and berry gardens have become an agricultural product brand of this city of thousands of flowers.
The merger of provinces also creates many more opportunities to develop tourism in the Central Highlands, when the "sure sea" is connected to the "golden forest". In a journey combined with exploring mountains and forests and enjoying local products, visitors can visit famous beaches such as Vung Ro, Xuan Dai Bay, Tuy Hoa (Dak Lak) or Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa).
Communication expert Nguyen Ngoc Long commented: When mountains, forests and blue seas are connected in the same journey, the value of the experience of tourists will increase many times. This is an advantage that not many regions in Vietnam have.
Cooperation to build the Central Highlands tourism brand
With the available advantages, the Central Highlands is facing a great opportunity to become a unique tourist area, converging all the factors of "forest - sea - agricultural products".
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company - commented that to realize potential, the key factor is the solidarity of travel businesses and the orientation from management agencies. The merger creates a large territory, if there is a lack of coordination, the risk of "everyone being forced to do it" will cause resources to be dispersed and products to lack synchronization.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu emphasized: The most important thing after the merger is to build a common tourism brand for the Central Highlands. Instead of each province promoting itself individually, localities need to join hands to build the image of "Tay Nguyen - Green Sea, deep Forests, and Provided with fertile Agriculture". When there is a strong brand, businesses can easily connect products and promote them to international markets.
From a communication perspective, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Long analyzed: In the digital age, positioning a tourism brand must be associated with a modern communication strategy. Not only publications or tourism fairs, but we must also take advantage of social networks and digital platforms to tell stories about the Central Highlands. Every agricultural product, every beach, every festival can become attractive content if told correctly".
In fact, some tourism businesses in Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa have proactively linked and designed tours connecting the sea - forest, in order to create a new attraction for tourists. In addition, local authorities are also building support mechanisms, from improving transport infrastructure, upgrading airports, to creating conditions for businesses to invest in accommodation and resort services.
The coordination between State agencies, businesses and localities will be the key to developing tourism in the Central Highlands after the merger. With many outstanding potentials, this place promises to not only be a domestic destination but also reach the international market, becoming a "new destination" for Vietnamese tourism in the next decade.
