Crowds of local and international tourists are rushing to explore mango tours in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, while farmers there are eager to be their guides.
The link between the mango farmers of Khanh Hoa Province and tourists coming from far and wide is created by Dang The Truyen, director of Camlamonline Limited Company, and his co-workers.
Mango-laden trees become ideal sites for taking photos. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Efforts in launching mango garden tours
Truyen said that Cam Lam District in Khanh Hoa Province is considered the mango hub in the south-central region, covering some 7,000 hectares of mango cultivation.
Despite such potential, farmers have only sold mangoes after harvests.
Over the past few years, the prices of mangoes have fallen, forcing farmers to cut down mango trees or abandon mango gardens due to no profits.
“I came up with an idea to combine agriculture and tourism to help farmers increase income from their mango gardens," said Truyen.
“The district lies between Nha Trang City and Cam Ranh City, with the close proximity to many resorts, Cam Ranh International Airport, and some main routes, smoothing the way to welcome travelers."
Truyen set up a website at camlamonline.com to introduce mango-based products, must-try eateries, and must-see places, especially mango gardens, in the district.
Mango tours bring new experiences and a feeling of immersion in nature to visitors.
At mango orchards, tourists can take photos of them with various kinds of mangoes and admire huge and ancient mango trunks, as well as big mangoes weighing nearly two kilograms each.
In addition, tourists on a mango tour can pick the fruits and eat them.
The district is home to a series of local dishes prepared with mangoes such as gỏi xoài cá cơm (anchovy mango salad) and canh chua xoài (mango sweet and sour soup).
As part of a mango tour, tourists are taken to the camlamonline.com showroom to enjoy mango drinks and buy a variety of mango-based products.
Truyen said that his firm would work with more mango gardens and travel operators to offer the best mango tours to serve the demand of travelers.
Visitors buy mango-based products. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Tourists enjoy mangoes at a mango garden in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Mango tours produce waves of emotions
Vo Van Cong, owner of a 600-square-meter mango orchard, said that his orchard had pulled in many groups of tourists for sightseeing free of charge.
“Tourist arrivals were unfamiliar to me but they made me happy," Cong said.
“All of us [farmers] initially felt unfamiliar with how to welcome visitors, as we are used to farming.
"As such, we were instructed how to receive guests. We started practicing as tour guides then.
“Many tourists have come to buy mangoes, helping me beef up sales."
Christina Nguyen, director of Zazen Travel Company, which has arranged tours to mango gardens, said that visitors did like this tourism product due to short travel time and low costs.
“They were surprised that the Australian mango variety in Vietnam has a different color and taste from the native species," she said.
“We have added this mango tour to our travel program, and will popularize it among foreign tourists."
Australian visitors stroll in a mango garden. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre |
An attractive dish made of fish and mango. Photo: Thuc Nghi / Tuoi Tre |
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