The oldes lychee tree in Hoàng Văn Lượm's garden, a fifth-generation direct descendant of Hoàng Văn Cơm. VNA Photo Mạnh Tú

HÀ NỘI – As well as watching the region's best athletes battle it out, visitors to Hải Dương Province for the SEA Games also have the chance to visit the Thanh Hà lychee gardens, where the oldest lychee tree in Việt Nam stands. 

Located on the Red River Delta, Thanh Hà District has a reputation for the best quality Thiều Thanh Hà lychees. The fruit tree areas in the district lure tourists from near and far. 

Not to be missed is the “ancestral” 19th-century lychee tree in Thú Lâm town of Thanh Sơn Commune. The tree is recognised by the Việt Nam Book Record as the oldest of its species in Việt Nam.

The tree was planted over 150 years ago by Hoàng Văn Cơm (born in 1848) who specialised in fruit trading. In 1870, at a party with the Chinese in the northern Hải Phòng City, he ate delicious lychees, so he brought some seeds to his home and planted them in his garden.

The seeds all grew well thanks to suitable soil and climate, and one of them is still alive today. It is the oldest such tree in the country and produces delicious fruit.

From the precious lychee trees, Cơm extracted the branches to clone in the home garden and gave them to people inside and outside his region. 

The main crop of lychee is normally only in June. But the local people are creative in prolonging the harvest season by grafting branches and producing equally-tasty early fruit from May.

There is around 7,000ha of fruit trees, including more than 3,300ha of lychee, in Thanh Hà District. As well as lychee, many other fruits like guava, banana and pomelo help the district to form and boost ecotourism.

In 2020, the district lured nearly 20,000 turns of visitors to fruit tree areas, mainly lychee ones.

The true lychee of Thanh Hà is small and slightly lumpy. When ripe, the fruit is red-pink in colour, with small black-brown seeds. Some have no seeds, though the pulp is always white, thick and sweet.

Thanh Hà lychee gardens located along rivers such as the Gùa River, Hương River, Thái Bình River and Rạng River create tourism products like boating along rivers in ripe lychee season and picking lychees.

Apart from the lychee gardens, people can experience other activities such as contemplating the beauty of nature, fishing for fun on the banks of the rivers and Đảo Cò Chi Lăng Nam - one of the most popular ecotourism spots in Hải Dương Province.

Đảo Cò (Stork Island) is a must-see place that people should not be missed when they visit Hải Dương Province. 

Early morning and late afternoon are the best time to see storks in Đảo Cò. VNA Photo Vĩnh Tiến

Located in the heart of An Dương Lake in Chi Lăng Nam Commune, Thanh Miện District, about 30km south of Hải Dương Province centre, the island is a home to different kinds of storks and birds. 

The island emerged in the middle of the lake after big floods, according to local people. Over time, the storks and birds living on the island became an attractive eco-tourism destination.

Going to Đảo Cò, people will experience a moment of living with nature and discovering the world of storks most vividly and authentically.

It takes a whole day to visit the lake. Going in a large group, people can go by canoe so as not to disturb the life and activities of the storks. If the group is smaller, they can take a pedalo around the lake and discover the amazing nature of the place by themselves.

It will be interesting and exciting for the people to watch the storks fly to find food early in the morning and return to the nest in the late afternoon. At that time, the stork's wings cause a commotion in the quiet countryside.

There is also accommodation at the lakeside for the people who want to stay the night. They will have the chance to observe their behaviour and habitat, as well as how to make nests.

Đảo Cò is a scenic spot with beautiful nature and stork species. The people will enjoy storks and bird watching and they will be also more or less the smell of bird droppings. - VNS

* Table tennis games take place in Hải Dương Sports Complex in Hải Dương City, open to the public from 10am until 9pm today