Flower garden on the top of border mountain

“Walk the talk toward the success”

After graduating from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Nguyen Thanh Hai started up his flower farming business and opened the very first garden entitled Ha Trang in 2012 in Quang Ninh. This is the first facility that gratified his desire as well as nurtured the notion of building a “one of a kind” floral garden in the region.

Until 2019, Hai established 1.8-ha-farm concentrating in floral types. Talking about the process of picking this site as "headquarters", Mr. Hai joyfully said: He spent a lot of time investigating the soil and climate of several places in Quang Ninh province.

He was subsequently brought to Cao Son by a friend and concluded the site to realize his dream three months later despit the home nostagia.

Sharing about the first problems, Mr. Hai noted that from the early days, he resolved that his employees would eventually depend solely on local human resources. However, the challenge here is that those who are only acquainted with the forest profession, have not had access to the flower growing method that needs many specialized characteristics.

With the motto "walk the path toward the success", Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai and local agricultural authorities have planned, assessed the area and prepared a plan to execute the Cao Son Flower Garden project of the Binh Lieu Flower Cooperative, following the model of high-tech agriculture.

Combining flower farming to eco-tourism

Built on a total area of 1.8 hectares, Cao Son flower garden is planted with a variety of flowers such as evening primrose, roses, orchids... with a smart automated watering system. Besides, he also invests in services so that visitors may come to enjoy the landscape and pleasantly "check-in", appreciate the beauty of the harmony between flowers and heaven and earth here. Estimated investment up to present has reached VND 10 billion in income.

Mr. Hai's flower garden is growing in popularity due to the use of Taiwanese horticulture technology, as well as his own study and experimentation.

Oncidium is often taken as cuttings and is cultivated in a variety of locations around the northern hemisphere. However, for the flower to grow correctly (over 70 cm in height, at least five more flower branches, and a huge, year-round blooming flower), it needs a number of soil and climate-related conditions.

As a result of orchid growers' studies, the Cao Ly mountain region (Hoan Mo commune, Binh Lieu district) is one of the three most appropriate areas (together with Sapa and Tam Dao) for commercial oncidium cultivation and development.

However, Sapa's winter environment is often too cold, with snow on occasion, and Tam Dao lacks sufficient agricultural space to extend the farm, limiting the orchid's expansion potential. Cao Ly is therefore an ideal place for the growth of orchid growing.

Mr. Hai developed his own approach for his garden by skillfully combining technology transferred from Taiwanese specialists, Dalat flower farmers, and his own expertise.

Ms. Le Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Binh Lieu District's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the Binh Lieu Flower Cooperative has developed a new and sustainable tourism product for the community, creating a favorable impression on travelers.

Simultaneously, this is a critical model for maintaining social security in the region. As such, admission to the floral garden is priced at VND 30,000 for adults and free for children. Prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, the floral garden drew up to 1500 visitors on certain days.

Not only is Binh Lieu Flower Cooperative establishing a flower park atop the border mountain to entice flower lovers to cross dozens and hundreds of kilometers of mountain roads to enjoy and photograph flowers, but it also provides a breath of fresh air to the locals, bringing them closer to the way of services, eco-tourism.

As a consequence, it produces secure employment for a large number of people while also enabling nearby families to enhance their income by offering auxiliary services such as eating, relaxing, and sustained poverty reduction in ethnic minority communities.