(VOVWORLD) - The Ba Den mountain area in Tay Ninh province is developing agricultural experience tourism. Many farms and cooperatives have opened up to visitors, offering fruit picking and on-site tasting of local specialties, hoping it will encourage guests to stay longer.
 Many farms in Ba Den mountain area in Tay Ninh province welcomes tourits to their orchards. (Nguyen Quang/VOV-Ho Chi Minh City) |
Agricultural tourism at the foot of Ba Den mountain began with small farms selling their custard apples, melons, grapes, coconuts, and seasonal vegetables. As the number of visitors began to rise, some households started services from their orchards and the lush green surroundings. One notable model is the 1.2-hectare coconut grove of Nguyen Thanh Vu in Binh Minh commune, where visitors can pick coconuts and enjoy fresh coconut juice while camping and practising yoga in the garden.
Mr. Vu said he hosts around 450 visitors per month, with numbers doubling at weekends and holidays or during Lunar New Year festival. “We have the advantage of being located at the foot of the mountain in proximity to the Ba Den Mountain tourist site. Although there are not yet many orchards, in the future, if more farmers adopt this model, it will create a larger ecosystem and attract more visitors.”
 Farms and cooperatives cooperate to offer experiential tours. (Nguyen Quang/VOV-Ho Chi Minh City) |
Le Minh Trung, Chairman of the Board of Minh Trung Agricultural Service Cooperative, said visitors to Tay Ninh used to focus on religious sites, and ignored the fruit orchards at the foot of Ba Den mountain. Recently, the cooperative has coordinated with a number of farms to offer half-day and full-day experiential tours.
Trung said: “Our starting point is green agricultural production. We want visitors to come and see the farmers’ efforts and experience green production processes. We’re trying to connect with farms and travel companies that share the vision of building agricultural tourism in this area.”
 Since the Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area opened in 2020, visitors come to Ba Den throughout the year. (Nguyen Quang/VOV-Ho Chi Minh City) |
Within a radius of about 10 kilometers of Ba Den mountain, fields and farms interwoven with forested hills creates an environment well suited to agricultural tourism and eco-tourism.
Le Thi Nhu Oanh, Deputy Director of the Huong Sen Viet Travel Company, says that being close to a major tourist site and its steady flow of visitors throughout the year gives the area a strong potential for agricultural tourism. “In the past, tourism in Tay Ninh was strong only in the first lunar month, when people made pilgrimages to Ba Den mountain and the Cao Dai Holy See. Since the Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area opened in 2020, things have changed, and visitors now come here throughout the year. Incentives and attractive tourism products have added to this development,” Oanh said.
Ngo Tran Ngoc Quoc, Chairman of the Tay Ninh Tourism Association, stressed the need for an agricultural tourism zone around the mountain’s foot, connecting clusters of farms, orchards, and eco-sites. Authorities should help local people develop community tourism and provide service skills and technology training, Quoc said. “The province should strengthen tourism promotion on digital platforms, social media, and national and international television channels. Social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook have strong outreach.”
Green farm tours are opening up a new direction for tourism development in Tay Ninh, contributing to product diversification and encouraging tourists to stay longer in the region.