The Southern province of Đồng Nai is capitalising on its strengths - mainly vast arable land - to develop a multi-faceted agricultural sector linked with rural tourism. 

The Dốc Mơ Agricultural Cooperative, located in Gia Tân 3 Commune, Thống Nhất District, exemplifies this model by promoting sustainable agriculture alongside tourism.

The cooperative employs intercropping without using chemicals and focuses on four main areas, including sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism and recreational services, deep processing, and agricultural education.

On its 16-hectare site, the farm grows "clean produce" and provides stable supplies of vegetables, fruits, and meat to households in HCM City, Đồng Nai, and nearby provinces. In addition, the cooperative is pioneering agritourism to offer visitors experience of rural life, culture and food.

Hoàng Công Phước, director of the cooperative, said that alongside monthly food packages for families prioritising chemical-free farming, the cooperative had launched the Dốc Mơ Village tour to meet weekend getaway and long-term retirement needs.

"We emphasise lifestyle businesses rather than merely agricultural products, centring on three pillars, namely ecological environment, self-sufficient organic produce, and community lifestyle development," he said.

Lê Thị Ngọc Loan, director of Đồng Nai’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (DCST), highlighted the province’s significant achievements in agriculture and rural development.

Đồng Nai ranks among the leading provinces in rural infrastructure investment, which has transformed the region’s landscape, reduced the urban-rural development gap, and laid the foundation for economic diversification, including tourism.

"In recent years, agriculture has been the backbone of the economy. To adapt to market fluctuations and urbanisation, the sector is transitioning toward multi-value, multi-benefit operations," Loan said.

"Integrating agriculture with tourism is essential, enabling better use of existing resources, creating jobs, increasing income, and preserving ecological and cultural heritage while attracting investment in community and local economic development."

To harness its agricultural potential, the province considers tourism as a critical economic sector, with rural and agricultural tourism as one of three primary types.

This initiative aims to build Đồng Nai’s tourism brand in line with sustainable development trends.

According to the province’s tourism authority, an evaluation of agricultural and rural tourism resources revealed significant potential, including specialised fruit and crop zones, scenic rural landscapes, hills, rivers, waterfalls, and unique local cultures.

These resources are well-suited for developing agricultural and community-based tourism models.

The Provincial People's Committee [Administration] has implemented a rural tourism development plan for 2023–2025 as part of new-rural building drive.

This plan emphasises maximising community participation, preserving cultural values, and integrating tourism with sustainable agricultural and environmental practices.

During this period, Đồng Nai aims to create stable livelihoods, generate jobs, and improve rural incomes through tourism.

The province will foster tourism-agriculture integration, forming high-value service chains to effectively use resources, highlight its agricultural strengths, and meet development demands.

As of now, Đồng Nai's tourism sector directly employs around 4,000 workers and indirectly supports 7,500 jobs.

This sector not only boosts local agricultural and aquatic product consumption, but also stimulates related industries. 

Eco-tourism potential

With the goal of turning tourism into a key industry of the province’s economy, Đồng Nai's tourism industry resolves to make the best use of local advantages as part of a plan to build and develop eco-tourism linked with agriculture.

The province has huge potential for developing eco-tourism related to orchards, forests, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes.

The southeastern region’s largest fruit producing province has more than 70,000ha of fruit trees and is well known for tropical fruits such as durian, grapefruit, orange, mandarin, and custard apple.

Under the national programme for building new-style rural areas, the province has invested in infrastructure in rural areas, especially roads, creating favourable conditions for orchard owners to offer tourism services.

Major fruit tree-growing districts such as Tân Phú, Vĩnh Cửu, Cẩm Mỹ, Xuân Lộc, and Long Thành, and Long Khánh City have expanded agritourism in recent years.

The province also has multiple craft villages that make well-known products such as fine-art furniture, pottery, dried banana, and grapefruit wine.

Đồng Nai currently has 23 tourism sites and 131 accommodation establishments with a total of 3,500 rooms to meet the demand for recreation and relaxation of domestic and foreign visitors. VNS