Image courtesy of Daxin Mingshi Tourism Resort official website
The Mekong’s “hidden gems” offer unconventional tourism opportunities, for travelers brave enough to venture beyond the beaches and tourist strips. For example: consider these farm tourism adventures found beyond the beaten track.
Farm tourism around the Greater Mekong Sub-Region offers a win-win for both tourists and locals. When you embark on such a journey, you’re directly supporting local communities – instead of your money going to big hotel chains or international resorts, it flows into the hands of local farmers and their families.
And here’s the cherry on top: farm tourism fits the “slow travel” mode, indulging travelers who seek immersive authentic experiences. Slow travelers stay longer in one place, spending more time (and money) to enjoy the area’s culture, social encounters and natural beauty. In Viet Nam, the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is a major fruit-growing area, with “14,000ha under durian in Cai Lay and Cai Be districts and Cai Lay town, 9,000ha under dragon fruit in Cho Gao district and 16,000ha of pineapple in Tan Phuoc district,” VietnamPlus reports.
No wonder, then, that fruits are front and center in any tourism visit to Tien Giang. You can explore the whole variety of fruit available from the Mekong Delta, in places like Cai Be Floating Market and Tan Phong Island, along Tien Giang River. The different colours, shapes, and smells will take you out of this world!
Heritage villages like Dong Hoa Hiep are also surrounded by specialty fruit orchards cultivating mango, orange, pomelo, longan, and jackfruit. You can enjoy these fruits as you visit the village’s ancient houses, pagodas and communal house. Cambodia’s Kampot Province is the namesake of one of the Kingdom’s most famous exports, the Kampot pepper. A heritage crop dating back to the 1300s, Kampot pepper gained worldwide fame during the French colonial era, as French chefs brought the spicy condiment back to the metropole and used it in celebrated dishes. During the colonial era, Cambodia produced over 8,000 tons of pepper a year – most of it for export.
Image courtesy of psamathe.net (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Many of the pepper farms around Kampot now accept visitors. If you want to see first-hand how these tasty spices are grown and processed, go to farms like La Plantation and Sothy’s Pepper Farm within easy driving distance from Kampot.
You’ll learn about the history of the farms and the people, the varieties of pepper on the vine, how these farms practice sustainable or organic farming, and as you leave, you can buy your own pepper to take home.
Finally, the Mingshi Scenic Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China PRC is a beautiful example of the borderlands saddling China PRC and Viet Nam. The karst spires overlooking the rice paddies and rapeseed flower fields have inspired poems, artwork, and has been immortalised as the setting for the TV series “The Journey of Flower”.
At the end of October, the Mingshi Scenic Area holds a “Golden Autumn Harvest Festival” to mark the rice harvest season with banquets, farm activities, fishing in the rice paddies, and tug-of-war competitions. Foreign tourists can come to try out the local Zhuang community traditions, with the local gorgeous scenery as an unforgettable backdrop.
Don’t leave without trying the local food, all locally grown and harvested. The Daxin County cuisine reflects nearby Vietnamese influence, with spring rolls and Vietnamese crab legs served alongside Mingshi Pearl Duck and charcoal-roasted whole pig.
As the world becomes more connected, the charm of authentic, untouched experiences in the Mekong region shines brighter. By exploring these lesser-known farm gems, travelers not only discover hidden wonders but also support local communities. Venture beyond the usual and immerse yourself in the Mekong Sub-region’s unique treasures. Adventure awaits!”
