Lychee orchards in Bắc Giang are drawing a large number of visitors. — VNA/VNS Photo

BẮC GIANG —  As lychee orchards in full bloom paint red the hillsides of the northern province of Bắc Giang, the lychee hub is drawing a growing number of visitors keen to experience the region’s summer harvest.

In key lychee-growing areas such as Lục Ngạn and Tân Yên districts and Chũ township, the atmosphere is vibrant as farmers harvest the fruit and tourism activities peak.

With its early-ripening lychees, Tân Yên is dubbed the “gateway to summer”. Since mid-May, communes like Phúc Hoà, Cao Thượng, Tân Trung, Hợp Đức have welcomed both harvesters and tourists attracted by the lush, red-laden trees.

Tân Yên District has around 1,300 hectares of lychee cultivated mainly under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. Many households have opened their orchards to visitors, offering fruit-picking and on-site tasting, increasing the economic value of the crop.

According to local grower Trần Đức Hạnh, GlobalGAP-certified practices not only improve fruit quality and market access but also appeal to tourists. His orchard has been prepared with signage and rest areas to accommodate visitors, including returning tour groups and foreign guests.

Tourist Nguyễn Ngọc Anh from Hà Nội said she was impressed by the orchard experience and the strict export standards applied to the fruit. With better promotion, the service could become an ideal summer destination, she noted.

To tap into this potential, Tân Yên District has worked with travel firms to create lychee-themed tours combining orchard visits, local specialities and historical sites such as Dành Temple and Phúc Sơn Pagoda. In the past two years, the locality welcomed nearly 10,000 tourists during the lychee season, generating around VNĐ3 billion (nearly US$115,000) in tourism revenue. 

Visitors to a lychee orchard in Bắc Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo

Meanwhile, Lục Ngạn District and Chũ township remain the largest lychee hubs in terms of production and tourism. With over 17,500 hectares under cultivation, Lục Ngạn has launched the “Lục Ngạn Lychee – Vietnamese Fruit Essence” programme, while Chũ town has introduced “Chũ in Lychee Season” tours, including “A Day as a Farmer” experiences.

Garden Viet Cooperative in Thanh Hải ward has welcomed numerous domestic tour groups with packages ranging from VNĐ150,000 –350,000 per person. Visitors can pick and taste lychees in the orchard, explore cultivation stories, enjoy lunch, camp, kayak, or sample regional dishes such as ant egg cake, colourful sticky rice, and roast pork.

Lục Ngạn authorities are expanding tourism efforts by offering hospitality training for farmers, identifying orchards that meet quality standards, and developing new experiential tours. Communes like Thanh Hải, Giáp Sơn, Hộ Đáp, Tân Mộc, and Tân Sơn are being prioritised for community tourism development.

Each summer, Bắc Giang welcomes not just the fruit harvest, but also a wave of visitors eager to explore its landscape and culture. Once a purely agricultural product, lychees are increasingly becoming a signature feature of sustainable tourism in the region. — VNA/VNS