In mid-June, Dong Man Eco-tourism Area (Thanh Ha District, Hai Duong Province) was bustling with people coming and going. Hundreds of tourists flock here every day to immerse themselves in the lush green space, enjoy the flavor of the main season's seaweed and experience the increasingly attractive agricultural tourism activities.
From early morning, cars and motorbikes lined up on the road leading to the ecological area. Many families take advantage of the weekend to bring their children home to "change the wind", enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside along the river. Groups of young people eagerly "check-in" in the brilliant red fabric garden, sharing photos of real-life experiences on social networks.
Not a large-scale tourist area or with many artificial structures, Dong Man scores points for its natural beauty, province and genuine rural culture. This place is covered with fruit-laden lychee gardens, interspersed with fish ponds, deserted plantations, red dirt roads covered with bamboo and coconut.
Ms. Mai Xuan Quynh, a tourist from Da Nang, shared: I learned about Dong Man through a short clip online. It seemed simple, but who would have thought it would be a surprise? Children experience picking fabric, eating fabric in the garden, then feeding fish, sitting on a bamboo boat... The air is fresh, not as bustling as other crowded tourist destinations.
Sharing with Lao Dong, Ms. Pham Thi Liem - owner of Dong Man Eco-zone - said: "This year, Dong Man has a much larger number of tourists. People come not only to pick fabric but also to experience the authentic countryside space. We do not do grand tourism but keep natural landscapes, painting houses, fish ponds, dirt roads....
Ms. Liem shared that the eco-zone is currently organizing many activities to serve tourists such as cycling tours, picking, weighing and buying fabric on the spot experiences, a countryside party in the garden, and local tour guides.
In particular, this year there are also tours for students about agricultural experiences. This product is very popular.
The tourism model associated with agricultural products not only helps increase the value of fabric but also contributes to diversifying farmers' livelihoods. Instead of just harvesting and selling wholesale, people can increase their income by selling fabric in the garden, providing food and beverage services, renting out photography space, on-site tour guides, etc.
According to Ms. Pham Thi Liem, the current difficulties are the small traffic infrastructure, lack of parking, and lack of support for promotion and sustainable development orientation.
"We hope to have the locality support planning, training human resources for community tourism and communication so that the ecological area can develop in the right direction and in the long term" - she shared.
