Three 'virtual living' spots during late lychee season in Bac Giang

Tan Son fabric market, Cam Son lake and lychee gardens in Tan Son are in harvest season and are ideal destinations for tourists to visit.

Luc Ngan is a mountainous district of Bac Giang province, known by the nickname "Kingdom of lychees". In 2023, the whole district will have more than 19,000 hectares of lychee, with an estimated output of 98,000 tons, according to the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports of Bac Giang.

Hoang Thuy Duong took photos on the lychee island in Cam Son Lake on July 1.

The lychee harvest season starts from May to July. Most communes have almost finished harvesting, but the lychee islands on Cam Son Lake and Tan Son Commune have just started the late lychee season. In addition to harvesting the fruit, in recent years, lychee gardens in Bac Giang have gradually become attractive destinations for photography, creating a trend like taking photos in Moc Chau apricot and plum gardens.

Below are three beautiful photo spots when visiting Luc Ngan during the late lychee season in early July, as suggested by Hoang Thuy Duong, a travel blogger born and raised in Bac Giang.

Cam Son Lake

Cam Son Lake is nearly 30 km long, 7 km wide at its widest point and 200 m at its narrowest point. The water surface area is 2,600 ha in the dry season. In the rainy season, the water level rises, and the lake surface can reach 3,000 ha. The lake water is clear with many large and small islands growing lychees. Many tourists have compared Cam Son to "Ha Long Bay on land" of Bac Giang.

Spending a day cruising on the lake, exploring the lychee islands in the middle of the lake is considered by Duong as a "must-try experience". After sightseeing, visitors can visit the islands, directly pick ripe and fresh lychees from the trees to eat.

A must-see destination for taking photos, besides the lychee garden, is Phao Bridge. The bridge is located on Cam Son Lake, connecting Tam Che village to Dap village. The bridge is mainly made of bamboo and wood, so it stands out with its deep brown color among the green of the water, trees, mountains and clouds. Boat rental fee: 1-1.2 million VND per boat depending on the size of the boat, capacity for 10-15 guests.

At noon, visitors can stop by Cam Son fishing village to rest and have lunch. "Camping by the lake is very beautiful," Duong said, because of the quiet space and the vast nature around. Visitors do not have to pay for tickets, but if they want to sit and rest in the huts, camps or tents, the price is 30,000-50,000 VND per person. Visitors can bring food or order from the locals there, such as grilled chicken and rice. The price for a portion is from 200,000 to 250,000 VND per person.

Directions: From the center of Bac Giang city, visitors go to Chu town, turn onto the dirt road leading to Son Hai commune to reach the lake.

Lychee gardens in Tan Son

Duong said she was born and raised with lychee trees, but she was still amazed when she saw with her own eyes the lychee gardens laden with fruit in Tan Son commune. "Thousands of lychee trees with green leaves highlighting the red fruit are planted in layers, surrounding the villages and hills, making you go from surprised to delighted," Duong said.

One of the lychee gardens that Thuy Duong suggested is Chiu Ben because the fruit here is especially large and fruitful. "The lychees are densely packed on the branches, hanging down to the ground. The garden owner has to lean on the branches with a stick to hold the bunches up," Duong said. The garden owner also has a lychee garden that forms an arch for tourists to take photos. According to Duong, the best time to take photos with the lychee garden is at dawn, when the ripe lychees are bright red and stand out against the green leaves and under the sunlight.

Some lychee gardens (on lychee island and in Tan Son commune) charge 30,000 VND per person to enter, but if you buy lychee to take home, you don't have to pay the entrance fee. A bunch of lychee weighing about three kilograms is sold for 30,000 VND. "It's more profitable for visitors to buy lychee to take home," Duong said.

Tan Son fabric market

To "hunt" for the moment when the lychee market is bustling, visitors must be there from 5am, at the same time as the locals pick lychees at night and transport them to the market. Each person usually carries a basket of lychees weighing 150-200kg, waiting to meet traders and agree on a purchase and sale. For about 2-3 hours, the market is very crowded with people, so the entire road leading to the market is often congested. "The whole road is bright red with the color of ripe lychees," Duong said. The lychee market sells wholesale and not retail, so individual customers will have a harder time buying than buying at the gardens.

In addition, visitors can visit Bau Tien eco-tourism area, belonging to Dong Dao tourism cooperative, Dong Giao village, Quy Son commune. Although not 100% complete, there are basic facilities such as stilt houses, dining areas, water games such as rowing, duck pedaling, cycling. There is a lychee garden in the eco-tourism area, but the lychees here have been harvested since early summer. Up to now, there are still many fruits on the trees but they are only served to visitors to eat, not picked and sold. Currently, entrance fees are free.

From Hanoi, visitors cross Thanh Tri Bridge and Highway 1A to reach Bac Giang. Thuy Duong suggests that you can take photos of the lychee garden in one day, but if you want to visit Tan Son lychee market, a two-day, one-night trip is suitable. The cost for the trip is about 1-1.5 million VND.

Phuong Anh
Photo: Mindu & Duong Duong blog

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