Hanoi (VNA) – Four provincesin the southern part of the Red River Delta, namely Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, andThai Binh, have been taking steps to tap into their natural advantages todevelop agricultural and rural tourism.

The Nhan dan (People) daily citedtourism experts and culture researchers as saying thatthe southern region of the Red River Delta boasts a large farmland area, mainly fertile alluvialsoil, relatively developed intensive farming, and favourable climateconditions for not only agricultural development but also agricultural andrural tourism.

Over the past years, a number of domesticand international travellers have viewed agricultural and rural tourism as a novelexperience worth to try, especially in the post-COVID period, when a trend oflow-cost travel in rural places with pristine and beautiful landscapes has beenrising.

Grasping that chance, theselocalities have specified strategies for developing agricultural and ruraltourism.

Among them, Ha Nam aims to turn thistype of tourism into one of its main tourism products by 2030.

Thai Binh has promptly approved a plan to promote agricultureand rural areas in tandem with tourism for 2022 - 2025, with a vision to 2030, under which the province will develop 80 - 85 farming zones, each with their own features; assignauthorities to use nearly 5,000ha of mangrove forest and coastal wetland toprotect the environment, prevent natural disasters, and create livelihoods forlocals via agricultural tourism; and establish three - five agritourismcooperatives to maximise local potential and advantages.

Meanwhile, Ninh Binh has assistedresidents to grow sunflower in Khanh Thien commune of Yen Khanh district on atrial basis, along with Japanese lotus varieties in Ninh Hai and Ninh Thangcommunes and grapes in Ninh Giang commune of Hoa Lu district. The move aims tocreate unique agritourism products to attract more visitors, thus helping raisethe added value of farmland and people’s income.

For its part, Nam Dinh targets thatby 2025, agritourism destinations will be standardised, at least twoagritourism sites and 50% of the establishments providing rural tourismservices recognised, 70% of the owners of agritourism sites given training intourism management, and 80% of agritourism workers trained in tourism skills. Theprovince also plans to pilot some agritourism models connected withagricultural value chains, the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme, anddigital transformation.

NgoManh Ngoc, Deputy Director of the Ha Nam Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said localities in the region should step up training in agriculturaltourism for local residents, build pilot agritourism models to encourage peopleto preserve rural landscapes and the wet rice culture’s identity, and createtypical agritourism products.

Recommending centres be set up tointroduce unique agritourism products to travellers, Dinh Vinh Thuy, Directorof the Thai Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, pointed outthe necessity to increase communications to popularise images of local agriculture,rural areas, and farm produce, which will help to not only fuel agritourism,improve people’s life quality, but also accelerate the new-style countrysidebuilding in the south of the Red River Delta./.