Tân Triều pomelo village attracts many tourists. — Photo ivivu.com

Lâm Giang

As one of the eco-tourism areas in the southern province of Đồng Nai that are creating a great attraction for tourists, Tân Triều pomelo village not only brings visitors fresh air and scenic landscapes but also an unforgettable experience with relatives.

Located in Tân Bình Commune, Vĩnh Cửu District, Đồng Nai Province, the village is about 40 kilometres from HCM City.

From HCM City along Hà Nội Highway heading to Biên Hòa City, tourists can reach the village by waterway or by National Road 24 for about four kilometres. The village lies on the Tân Triều Island, embraced by the canals that receive water from the Đồng Nai River. As the ground is flooded, locals cannot grow rice or vegetables, but the island is fertile, and the climate is relatively cool and suitable for growing pomelo.

Right at the entrance to the village, we could smell the scent of grapefruit in the breeze, and admire the large gardens with pomelo trees laden with fruit.

The province currently has more than 1,500ha of pomelo trees, supplying thousands of fruit to the market each year. The fruit is planted mainly in Vĩnh Cửu District, with nearly 1,000ha in which Tân Bình Commune has the largest pomelo area.

A corner of Năm Huệ Pomelo Garden. — Photo of Năm Huệ Pomelo Garden Eco-tourism Area.

Recently, with many people coming to the village, residents have turned their pomelo gardens into eco-tourism areas, of which the most notable is Năm Huệ Pomelo Garden, an eco-tourism site owned by Huỳnh Đức Huệ, where visitors can experience food and drinks made from pomelo as well as other countryside dishes.

Tân Triều pomelo comes in many kinds, each with its own aroma and taste, but all of them are delicious thanks to the alluvial soil along the river.

Huệ chooses green-skinned pomelo to make salad. It is a combination of pomelo flesh, steamed shrimp, chilli, onion, coriander and roasted peanut.

The famous pomelo salad of Tân Triều. — Photo muabuoibienhoa.blogspot.com

In particular, pomelo wine is Huệ's unique product. He learned how to make pomelo wine from grape and strawberry wine. Each batch of brewing took about seven months, and then he had guests and friends to taste and give comments.

After many failures, it was until 2004 that he got the good batch of wine he wanted. After that, he registered the trademark of Năm Huệ Pomelo Wine in a pomelo-shaped ceramic vase. At the end of the year, he produces thousands of vases of pomelo wine every month to meet the market's demand.

Thanks to the village's tourism development, Huệ has often joined the provincial delegations to promote trade throughout the provinces and cities at home and abroad to promote the Tân Triều pomelo brand.

At those times, he met many partners who wanted to sign a long-term business deal in the supply of pomelos and wine, but he was selective and did not accept them all. Explaining this, he said that pomelo areas are limited. Therefore, if he receives these contracts, he will have to import pomelos from other places to have enough supply. However, doing so contradicts his principle of using home-grown pomelo to ensure quality.

"I used to work as a farmer and was forced down prices, so after many ups and downs, I decided to grow pomelos to provide tourists, not to get pomelos from other gardens to sell. Business is not my No 1 goal. I consider running this eco-tourism site as a hobby, a place to gather my friends and children," Huệ said.

Visitors come to Tân Triều pomelo village to find the rustic and idyllic charm of the countryside. — Photo danviet.vn

Each week, Huệ's pomelo garden welcomes about 3,500 visitors. On holidays, visitors to the garden are much more crowded.

Some pomelo specialties that can't be missed include wine, spring rolls, sweet soup, salad and steamed chicken. We also enjoyed famous dishes such as grilled chicken, fried rice with salted fish, fish soup and coffee.

Tân Triều pomelo village is a place worth visiting. It gives us a fresh, natural atmosphere, a peaceful feeling of a luxuriant orchard, and friendly smiles of the locals, and a sense of relieve from work and life pressure. VNS

Pomelo steamed chicken (centre) is a special food of Tân Triều pomelo village. — Photo ivivu.com