Farm tourism an option for Vietnam

HANOI Vietnam needs a long-term strategy to tap the potential of agro-tourism a tour expert told local media in an interview Thursday.
Local media quoted Ngo Kieu Oanh, who runs a farm tours, said Vietnamese leaders must introduce clear policies.
“The most important requirement is to preserve traditional farming villages, provide financial support for skills training and publicity campaigns, and develop standards for the sector,” he said.
Vietravel’s communication and promotion manager, Tran Thi Viet Huong, said tourism needs to connect with farmers so they can tap the travel industry network for support.
inside no 4Vietnam is an agricultural country with more than 70% of its population living in rural areas. It also has a diversity of cultures, traditions and ecosystems. Fortunately it still has many farm communities that use traditional methods, on smaller plots of land that comes the closest to organic farming.
However, only two potential sites for agro-tourism in Hanoi. Besides Oanh’s farm, the other is the ancient village of Duong Lam, where tourists can help farmers with their rice harvest and fish, the report said.
Duong Lam’s relic site management board head, Pham Hung Son, claimed farming tourism helps create jobs and improve living conditions for local residents, while raising awareness about protecting and upholding local traditional farming methods.
In northern provinces such as Son La, Lao Cai and Lai Chau, tourists can enjoy the spectacular scenery of terraced rice fields and witness farming methods that have not changed for centuries.

sourced:ttrweekly.com