Thach That is one of six districts selected to build a pilot agricultural and rural tourism model toward green, responsible and sustainable development in the 2022-2025 period.

A local tourist is picking black grapes at a Dan Phuong District's farm. Photos: Ngoc Anh/ The Hanoi Times

The district has great potential in developing farm produce with hundreds of farms, ecological zones and organic and high-tech models. This is the driving force for the locality to promote the development of various tourism services such as sightseeing, shopping, and culinary. 

After the selection process, Hoa Vien Farm in Thach That District, Yen Binh Commune, was chosen to pilot the model. The farm's crops are grown under a system of vegetable greenhouses, each of which, with an area of 1,000 m2, applies organic and advanced farming techniques to increase quality, thus achieving stable productivity and yield. In an area of up to 60ha, the farm has planted 46 crops recognized with four stars by the "One Commune, One Product" (OCOP) program.

Hoa Vien Farm owner Truong Kim Hoa said they continue to invest in new services to attract tourists who learn about the benefits of organic farming and products, thus changing their perception and increasing demand for organic products. 

“This model is expected to contribute to raising income for families in rural areas, developing agricultural economy sustainably associated with eco-tourism,” she told The Hanoi Times.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu suggested that, to build Hoa Vien Farm into an agricultural tourist destination, the farm owner needs to research and invest more in food services, reception points, and kiosks selling products. The farm should connect with other companies and travel agencies to attract tourists. 

Besides Thach That District, many localities also focus on building high-tech agricultural models and developing production and consumption chains associated with eco-tourism.

Dan Phuong District, over the past time, has gradually developed a model of ecological and high-tech agriculture associated with eco-tourism. 

Vice Chairman of the Dan Phuong District People's Committee Nguyen Thac Hung said the most typical model is blackcurrant production, which started in 2019 in Phuong Dinh commune. It has subsequently expanded to Dan Phuong, Trung Chau and Ha Mo communes, with a total area of up to 3.53ha, of which 2ha met VietGAP standards.

“The development of ecological agriculture in association with tourism services not only contributes to rural economic restructuring and sustainable agricultural development but also improves economic value and income for farmers," he told The Hanoi Times.

Currently, the city has 11 eco-agriculture farms operating under the education and experiential tourism model and four involved in agricultural tourism, according to the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The city’s goal for 2025

Children are joining activities at Ba Vi District's vegetable farm.

The city has developed 160 high-tech agricultural production models, 104 safe vegetable growing areas and 56 fruit growing areas. It is seen as a basis for Hanoi to create urban, ecological and high-tech agriculture to adapt to climate change and increase the value of agricultural products.

The city has set a target that, by 2025, each locality with agricultural and rural tourism potential will have at least one to three community-based tourism services and tourist attractions. A minimum of 50% of these products will be registered for intellectual property protection and recognized by the OCOP with three stars or more.

To achieve this goal, Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Chu Phu My said Hanoi would issue some policies to attract investment in agricultural and rural tourism and support businesses in infrastructure investment, land use changes, and access to preferential loans.

According to the Vice President of the Vietnamese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Dao The Anh, Hanoi needs to form new-style cooperative models in agriculture, including building a value chain from production, pre-processing, processing and packaging to product consumption.

At an agriculture-related meeting last month, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen shared his recent visit to an organic farming model of a plum producer in the mountainous province of Son La.

After the province offered plum picking service to tourists, he said the selling price of plums increased threefold to VND15,000 (US$0.6) per kilogram.

Based on this example from Son La Province, he suggested that agricultural production is the foundation, but it must be integrated with other models to increase value.