With 54 ethnic groups, Vietnam has a diverse cultural identity. Most workers are in agriculture and rural areas.

Experts liken agro-tourism to a gold mine but one that has not been exploited, even though agrotourism has developed since the 1980s in other parts of the world.

Thang believes now is the time for Vietnam to develop agro-tourism, a sustainable solution that could improve people’s incomes and change the face of rural areas, preventing the flow of people from rural areas to cities.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuc, CEO of Bagico, who has worked in the agricultural sector for 20 years, noted that China has similarities with rural areas of Vietnam, and China has developed agro-tourism very well.

Vietnam has great assets that can support the development of agro-tourism. It has terraced fields, wonderful coastal areas, coconut-growing areas, and rice-farming areas from the north to the south. All these are valuable assets which don’t need much investment.

“With agriculture's long development history, it will be very favorable to develop agriculture tourism,” she said.

However, to date, agriculture and tourism remain two separate fields which don’t cooperate to create new values.

In the agriculture sector, farmers just focus on tilling rice, growing veggies and fruits, and raising animals. Meanwhile, tourism is understood as "wearing expensive clothes and traveling to many different places".

According to Thuc, the two separate fields need coordination to create a sustainable marriage between them.

The first steps 

Vang A Chu in Sin Suoi Ho in Phong Tho in Lai Chau province, a worker in the agro-tourism sector, said that previously, people had to work hard in the rice fields, but they still lived in poverty and hunger. Now, they build guest houses, grow vegetables, make brocade, and serve tourists, so their lives are getting better.

“Thanks to tourism development, our family has food and properties. We don’t have to work hard anymore because we earn our living by receiving travelers and making products to sell to tourists,” Chu said.

However, Chu, like many other local people, still faced difficulty in work because of the lack of capital, poor transport means, and lack of experience.

Hoang Van Dai, deputy party secretary of Sin Suoi Ho Commune, said that most of the 145 households in his hamlets are involved in community tourism. There is an art performance team, restaurants, and quality homestays ready to serve guests in this commune.

“Sin Suoi Ho has been cooperating with businesses and agencies to advertise its tourist destinations, which are compared to a ‘sleeping girl’,” he said.

Vo Van Phong, CEO of C2T Tourism Company, said it is necessary to identify specific characteristics in every locality and introduce them to tourists. 

Ben Tre province, his hometown, for example, is the land of coconuts. Eating rice with a bowl made from coconut shells, cooking sour soup with coconut milk, and making hats from coconut leaves are the typical characteristics of the local culture. This is the story that locals can convey to travelers who want to experience the culture.

“This is the most important factor in developing tourism. When travelers have emotions and they can experience cultural values, they will certainly come back in the future,” he said.

Phong added that to develop agrotourism sustainably, it is necessary to harmonize the benefits of involved parties, train workers for agro-tourism. Locals need to learn how to use the internet to introduce and advertise community tourism in their localities.

Tam An