Vietnam's Charming Tra Que Farming Village

[Hamid]

Nguyen Duc Loi

For centuries, Tra Que village has made a name for itself through its greenery, and now visitors are discovering it, as well. Lan Hieu finds out more.

 

The sweet aroma of Tra Que vegetables and herbs has spiced up the everyday meals of people in Hoi An - just 15 minutes away - for centuries with special dishes like Cao Lau, My Quang, Banh Xeo and many others (here you may learn about Hoi An).

Located roughly halfway up Vietnam's South China Sea, near the banks of the De Vong River, this quaint village is now home to nearly 200 households which engage in cultivating vegetables on a total area of 40 hectares.

According to old local farmers, Tra Que has been famous for its vast vegetable plantations for about 400 years. The first villagers here were all fishermen, but they soon discovered that the land here was very suitable for growing produce. With skills and experience, farmers here have been producing some of the country’s most celebrated greens, which have been become a trademark.

A walk around the village reveals small, green, edible plants spread out in all directions, giving off a natural aromatic fragrance. Talking with the farmers here, we learn that it takes a lot of hard work to have such green thumbs.

“We have to learn how to till the land, sow the seeds and then how to nurture the plants,” Manh Hung, an old farmer while wiping his sweaty face, “This work may be easy for farmers in other places but extremely difficult for us here because we do not use chemical boosters and fertilizers.”

This is also one reason why Tra Que vegetables are being chosen by not only Hoi An’s locals, but also families and supermarkets from neighbouring areas like Danang City, Duy Xuyen and Hoa Vang Districts. They are healthier than those grown using chemicals and provide a distinctive flavor that has earned a loyal following.

“Our land here is enriched by the alluvium of the De Vong River,” said Tran Minh Nhu, a local guide who has a large onion plantation. “We fertilize it with algae from a nearby lagoon. That may be the reason why our herbs are so green and tasty.”

Among the more than 20 kinds of vegetables and herbs grown here are cabbage, colza or rape, celery, kohlrabi, and perhaps the most famous, savoury. Similar to basil and mint, Tra Que savoury is very popular in many restaurants and hotels in Hoi An for its special fragrance.

In recognition of the local farmers skills, people here all refer to them as “artistes”. Thanks to their special products, the village has become an attractive tourist destination. It has been a highlight for visitors to Hoi An since the first tour to the village was opened in 2004.

From Hoi An’s centre, Vietnam tour companies takes visitors on one-day or half-day tours to Tra Que, which gives them a chance to discover the daily life of farmers and try their hands out at actual farming. Visitors can participate in such activities like tilling the land, sowing the seeds, watering, fertilizing, harvesting and so on.

This tour is attracting a lot of people, especially foreign tourists. In recent years, Hoi An Travel has been taking more than 1,000 tourists to visit Tra Que Village annually, gaining hundreds of million of Dong.

Visitors to the village will be welcomed at two guest-houses before being taken to the plantation by a local farmer to see and join his work. If they stay for a whole day, lunch will be served at the guest house with Hoi An’s special dishes. After that, visitors can relax with a foot massage using medical herbs before saying goodbye to the farmers.

“I really enjoy the work as I never have worked on a farm before,” shared on Irish visitor joining in a full-day tour with us. “Besides learning the work of farmers in Vietnam, I can relax and do exercise at the same time.”

With a steady income from both farming and tourism, living standards for residents has improved significantly, all thanks to the humble herb. 

Interested in to have a day trip to this picturesque village near Hoi An? you can add it to your bucket list as a day trip and or book a tour including Hoi An and Tra Que, no matter what you looking for, a right decision on a holiday will do it all and leave you memories, check out Vietnam travel deals and contact us today for free advice.