Passion about agricultural tourism

Turning Bac Giang into a "red address" for agricultural tourism

Recently, localities across the country have promoted the exploitation of tourism resources associated with indigenous agricultural values, thereby creating many unique tourism products associated with traditional culture and local specialties, natural landscapes, festivals and craft villages. Agricultural tourism is recording strong development, bringing new nuances and new vitality to rural areas.

About 50km from Hanoi capital, Bac Giang province is a locality blessed by nature with mountains, rivers, fields, fragrant flowers and sweet fruits in all four seasons. In particular, in recent years, Bac Giang is gradually becoming an attractive "red address" inviting tourists to garden tourism, spiritual tourism, agricultural and rural tourism.

Grasping those advantages, a group of students from Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) launched the innovative startup project "Connecting agricultural and tourism destinations in Bac Giang province".

According to Than Thi Huyen Mai, a first-year student at Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University, the project's team leader, this project aims to provide tourists to Bac Giang province with package tours from travel vehicles, food, accommodation to tours and experiences of tourist attractions at each time of the year.

“During the period from January to March of the lunar calendar, many traditional festival activities will take place in Bac Giang. Therefore, at this time, we will mainly take tourists on spiritual tours and experience unique features of community culture," Project Team Leader Than Thi Huyen Mai shared.

Accordingly, tourists can visit some famous landmarks in Bac Giang such as Tay Yen Tu spiritual eco-tourism area, Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Xuong Giang ancient citadel, Truc Lam Phuong Hoang Zen Monastery, Bo Da pagoda …

“In addition, also around this time, grapefruit gardens and plum gardens in Bac Giang will bloom. Visitors can visit and take photos in the white gardens of plum blossoms and grapefruit flowers in Luc Ngan district. Also in Luc Ngan district, on this occasion, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the bold cultural imprints of the Tay and Nung ethnic communities at the Tan Son love market - a special market that only meets once a year on January 11 and 12," said student Huyen Mai.

Next, from April to December of the lunar calendar will be a suitable time for agricultural tourism, eco-tourism, and community cultural activities. Visitors coming to Bac Giang at this time will have many options to visit and experience unique cultural values ​​in the Northern countryside such as Tho Ha ancient craft village, Ven Xanh village community eco-tourism area, Ba Tia waterfall, Cam Son lake, Ho Bau Tien eco-tourism area, night camping at Dong Cao plateau...

“Along with that, visitors will have the opportunity to visit and experience harvesting many specialty fruits of Bac Giang such as plums, lychees, oranges, grapefruits... at garden houses or visit and experience making noodles at the famous Chu Noodle Craft Village,” Huyen Mai shared.

Another tourist destination that not only young people implement the project but any student of Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry is extremely proud to introduce to tourists is the first high-tech vineyard in the North on the campus of Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University.

Visiting the garden, visitors will also be able to visit, experience picking and enjoying fruit right under the lush green grape beds. This is also an experiencing vineyard model, the "cradle" of replicating hundreds of other high-tech vineyards across provinces and cities today.

Create development impetus for rural areas

According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, the value of agricultural and rural tourism is an integrated value. Agricultural tourism products originate from the depth of indigenous culture, village community culture and agricultural and rural achievements.

Ms. Than Thi Huyen Mai said that in addition to acting as a bridge to link tourist destinations in Bac Giang province. The project that young people of Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry are pursuing will create a driving force for development in rural areas here.

Participating in the project, households or gardeners at tourist destinations will have the opportunity to increase income from tourist services such as sightseeing places, experiences, resort locations, and local specialties. ... Agricultural tourism activities will contribute to promoting advertising, trade promotion and consumption of local agricultural products.

“Currently, the Project implementation team has established a travel club to develop a tour schedule in Bac Giang province that is appropriate to the needs of tourists. Through that, we hope to bring the most interesting and attractive experiences every time tourists come to Bac Giang", the Project Team Leader expressed.

Entrepreneurial spirit of generation 10X

Ms. Than Thi Huyen Mai said that through the Project "Connecting agricultural and cultural tourism destinations in Bac Giang province", the Project team wants to spread the entrepreneurial spirit and desire to contribute to local agriculture and tourism.

"Through this activity, young people will maintain the spirit of always thirsting for innovation and creativity so that they have the opportunity to challenge and affirm their bravery," Huyen Mai shared.

Expecting that the Project will contribute to the development of local agriculture and tourism, a third-year female student at Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry, Nguyen Ha Cam Ly, said that the practical activities of the Project will bring many benefits to rural communities both economically and socially.

“Through the Project, it will contribute to improving the lives of local people when participating in tourism activities. At the same time, connect, promote and introduce agricultural models and agricultural products to tourists in all parts of the country," Cam Ly expressed.

For Ngo Thi Ngoc Lan, a 2nd year student at Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry, participating in the Project is an opportunity for young people to challenge themselves as well as cultivate knowledge about the cultural identity of the locality in particular and the Vietnamese people in general.

“From the initial activities of the Project, we all hope to be able to develop and form chains of agricultural and rural tourism activities in a systematic and professional manner in the future. From there, raising the spirit and responsibility of young people in preserving and promoting the core values ​​of national culture to international friends," student Ngoc Lan said.

According to Prof. Dr. Pham Bao Duong, Principal of Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University, in recent years, there have been many successful start-up projects with the participation of staff, lecturers and students of the University. The university has also established a Student Entrepreneurship Club to create conditions for a learning environment and invest funds to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovative thinking among students.

“In particular, many post-graduate students have successfully started businesses in their professional fields and become good managers, successful entrepreneurs, and businesses that have contributed a lot to socio-economic development of the local", said Prof. Dr. Pham Bao Duong.

It is expected that in the 2024 - 2025 school year, Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University will organize a contest "Typical start-up ideas and innovations" for students across the University to create a diverse, lively learning environment, in oder to increase interest in learning as well as develop entrepreneurship, management, and leadership skills necessary for success in a real-life environment.