In May, the summer fruit season begins to ripen in many parts of the province. Fruit growing areas in Long Khanh City and districts: Xuan Loc, Nhon Trach, Vinh Cuu … are attracting a large number of tourists to visit, entertain and check in.
Nam Yen farmer (living in Hamlet 2, An Phuoc Commune, Long Thanh District) picks strawberries and sells them to tourists. Photo: D.PHU
According to gardeners, visitors not only come to enjoy the delicious taste of all kinds of fruits but also enjoy the beautiful scenery, learn about the people and culture of Dong Nai.
* Enjoy strawberries in the land of Long Thanh – Nhon Trach
The land of Long Thanh – Nhon Trach is likened to a heroic fire pan during the struggle for national independence and unification of the country by the army and people of 2 districts: Long Thanh – Nhon Trach. In the communes: An Phuoc (Long Thanh District), Phu Hoi, Long Tan (Nhon Trach District), although many times experienced bombs and bullets in history, the people here still grow and keep strawberry gardens. Fruits are sweet, full of beautiful fruits, attracting tourists near and far.
>> Chairman of P.Xuan Lap Farmers’ Association (Long Khanh City) BOI PHI LONG said that the locality has 1.6 thousand hectares of fruit trees such as durian, rambutan, mangosteen, avocado, jackfruit… Planting not only helps gardeners have a good income, reaching 350-400 million VND/ha/year, but also creates a good opportunity for Xuan Lap P.S. to build and develop a green city.
Currently, the area of mulberry trees in 3 communes: An Phuoc, Phu Hoi and Long Tan is still over 60ha. Mulberry is grown as a monoculture or intercropped in many other fruit trees such as rambutan, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen. In mid-May every year, the skinned strawberries begin to ripen.
Bay Thu gardener (with 5 sao of mulberry in An Phuoc commune) said that mulberry was introduced to An Phuoc land and many other localities nearly 100 years ago. Currently in his garden there are still some mulberry trees over 70 years old. The older the mulberry, the bigger the fruit, the more juicy, the richer than the new grown mulberry from 5-10 years. Therefore, the “older” strawberry garden is, the more attractive visitors come to enjoy.
At the beginning of May, the strawberry skin gardens in the commune are crowded with people going in and out to enjoy the fruit, watch the garden, take pictures, and check in.
“Strawberry skin is not only cooked but also used to prepare salads and sour soup. In the past, these dishes were traditional dishes of locals when having parties, now they have become unique and strange dishes for tourists when visiting An Phuoc land and other places in the district. – Mr. Bay Thu said.
Tourists come to visit and take pictures at the fruit garden of farmers in Phu My hamlet, Xuan Lap ward (Long Khanh city).
The first rains of the season make the strawberry garden of the gardener in Phu Hoi commune more succulent. Chairman of Phu Hoi Commune Farmers’ Association Nguyen Huy Sang said that in order to increase the economic value of mulberry trees in the garden, Phu Hoi gardeners have promoted strawberry gardens on individual and collective websites to attract young people. Tourists come to visit and enjoy mulberry, fruit trees and Phu Hoi folk dishes when the strawberry season is ripe.
“December, January, the strawberry flowers are already beautiful. By March and April of the lunar calendar – that is, May and June of the solar calendar, ripe strawberries look even more attractive. I am a local and still like and look forward to the strawberry season, let alone young people and people from afar,” said Mr. Sang.
* Inviting summer fruit
Long Khanh City is in the process of building and developing a green city. Therefore, the orchards of gardeners in wards and communes: Binh Loc, Xuan Lap, Bao Quang… add more and more rich green beauty to this urban area.
At the end of May 2023, Mr. Sau Hung’s orchard on 2.5ha (Cay Da hamlet, Binh Loc commune) had ripe yellow and red fruits. Mr. Hung said that from the beginning of 2023 until now, his orchard has welcomed hundreds of tourists to visit, enjoy food and fruit trees. The members of the Binh Loc Garden Tour Service Cooperation Group welcomed about 5,000 visitors, sold 20-23 tons of fruit on the spot, and earned about 6 billion VND in revenue.
Farmer Le Hai (living in Cay Da hamlet, Binh Loc commune, Long Khanh city) guides tourists (right) to visit and enjoy fruits at the garden.
Looking at the rambutan, durian, mangosteen, jackfruit, longan … of gardeners in Binh Loc commune wearing fancy codes, many tourists are curious and interested to see. The gardeners explained, it is the code that keeps the history of the tree such as: variety, age, fruit quality, yield… When someone places an order, the gardener’s name is saved in so that he can track the development of the tree. tree.
Vice Chairman of Binh Loc Commune Farmers’ Association Hoang Duc Liem said that it is a unique and strange type of tourism, selling trees, not selling land of local gardeners. When a visitor buys a tree for a year, he/she can own this tree for the duration of the purchase. The price is calculated by the garden owner according to the fruit yield/year and is responsible for preservation and care. Buyers only need to monitor their tree in the garden through the camera or directly visit, take photos, and harvest fruit.
Thanks to owning over 1.6 thousand hectares of summer fruit trees: rambutan, mangosteen, durian, pomelo, jackfruit…, gardeners in Xuan Lap Ward (Long Khanh City) also compete with other farmers. neighboring communes and wards in the process of attracting tourists when the fruit is in full ripeness. Farmer Nguyen Van Nam (70 years old, living in group 6, Phu My hamlet, Xuan Lap ward) confided that in season fruit sold to traders who came to buy in batches, even though he earned a large amount of money, he was not as happy as gardening. I have tourists come to visit, buy fruit to take home or eat on the spot.
“I am very happy that the fruit gardens of farmers in Xuan Lap Ward in particular and Long Khanh City in general are increasingly being known by the people. Not because we can sell fruit at a higher price than selling to traders, but because we can show off our garden and introduce visitors to the history of the land. Only in this way can visitors fully enjoy the taste of fruit trees and know the hardships of farmers in the process of clinging to the soil and gardens.” – Mr. Nam expressed.
Summer fruit season in Dong Nai has come, beckoning tourists to visit, enjoy and bring fruit away to introduce to everyone. It is also an opportunity for tourists from far and near to find the land of Dong Nai – Bien Hoa with 325 years of establishment and development with delicious trees and sweet fruits in four seasons.
>> “Every time I return to Dong Nai to visit my homeland after decades of being away from home, I can see the beauty of the orchards in Long Khanh City, districts: Xuan Loc, Long Thanh, Nhon Trach… and enjoy. If my hometown’s dishes are made from delicious fruit trees, I feel like I’m back in my childhood,” said Mr. CAO VAN LAM (American overseas Vietnamese, with relatives in Binh Hoa commune, Vinh Cuu district).
Doan Phu
Source Dong Nai Newspaper
