Harnessing the Potential of Agricultural Tourism

Agricultural and rural tourism has recently emerged as a promising sector, helping to effectively harness the potential of rural areas and create opportunities for shifting the economic structure towards sustainability and multi-dimensional value in Phu Tho province.

Lam Thao Agricultural Cooperative (Phung Nguyen Commune, Lam Thao District) cultivates grapes organically, ensuring food safety while offering tourists opportunities for sightseeing and hands-on experiences.

In recent years, the province has focused on developing various high-value crops and livestock, organizing production to create specialty commodity products. Models and projects linking the production and processing of agricultural products with rural craft villages have been promoted, closely integrated with tourism activities to create added value.

The province encourages the development of a multi-faceted agricultural economy in regions, cooperatives, and farms, combining production with tourism and hands-on experiences. This has led to the formation of several specialized areas, such as the Doan Hung specialty grapefruit area, the concentrated tea-growing regions in Long Coc Commune (Tan Son District) and Dich Qua Commune (Thanh Son), the vegetable-growing area in Tu Xa Commune, and the black summer grape-growing area in Phung Nguyen Commune (Lam Thao District). In addition, OCOP product production facilities, such as rice noodles, Hung Lo banh chung, and Thanh Son sour meat, are gradually being integrated into tourism activities. Visitors can learn about the production process, experience it firsthand, and enjoy specialty products directly in the locality.

Korean tourists visited and experienced the rice noodle-making village in Hung Lo Commune, Viet Tri City.

The province has developed a number of agricultural production stops and sightseeing spots that are now included in various tours and tourist routes. These include Tan Duc vegetable-growing village and Hung Lo food-processing village, which are part of the Viet Tri City tour; Dich Qua and Van Luong tea villages, which are featured in the Viet Tri - Xuan Son route; and experiences such as visiting and sampling Hung Lo noodles and rice vermicelli, Gia Thanh conical hats, Phu Ho tea, Van Du carpentry, and Doan Hung grapefruit.

So far, the province has developed more than 300 products that meet OCOP standards. These products not only comply with quality and food safety regulations but also focus on packaging design and aesthetics, with the potential to evolve into tourism-oriented products.

Despite the progress made, agricultural tourism still faces challenges. The scale of agricultural production, craft villages, and rural tourist destinations remains small. Competitiveness is limited, and there are few high-quality branded products. Agricultural offerings are often simple and not particularly attractive to tourists, and processed products are scarce with low added value.

To address these limitations, functional sectors and localities in the province will strengthen trade promotion activities, develop brands, and promote agricultural products while connecting production with consumption. Efforts will focus on managing, protecting, and developing brands, as well as improving the quality, design, and packaging of agricultural and regional specialty products. Additionally, there will be training programs to enhance the qualifications of enterprises, cooperatives, farm owners, and ecotourism areas, fostering a professional, friendly, safe, and civilized tourism culture.

Nguyen Hue