Abandoned land planted with grapes, turned into "paradise garden", this Saigon farmer unexpectedly won

Surprisingly, the abandoned land in Ward 3, Tan Tuc Town, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, under the hands of Nguyen Bao Nguyen, has now become a vineyard full of fruit, beautiful as in the movies. On weekends, hundreds of tourists flock to "make money" for Nguyen.

Mr. Nguyen said that this vineyard opened to welcome guests before the end of March. The garden has an area of ​​over 5,000m2, of which 4,000m2 Mr. Nguyen grows 5 types of grapes, including: Peony, American Red, Magic, Japanese Rose and Bailey. These are grape varieties with high economic value.

Mr. Nguyen Bao Nguyen and his vineyard full of fruit, as beautiful as in the movies. Photo: T.D

If you want to grow grapes that bear fruit, you must care for them like a baby.

I was really stunned by a vineyard full of plump bunches of grapes hanging down in the middle of bustling Saigon city. In the sweltering heat, entering the vineyard was cool and refreshing.

"Isn't it great?", Nguyen asked with a smile as he guided me around the vineyard.

According to Mr. Nguyen, growing grapes is not difficult, but to have a vineyard "as beautiful as in the movies", the grape growing team must take care of each grape tree one by one.

"To produce beautiful, fruitful grapes, there must be good monitoring and care, such as fertilization, disease treatment, pruning, bed-building, watering... for each grapevine," Mr. Nguyen confided.

And because he grows grapes and does eco-tourism, even for the trellis poles for the grapes to climb, Mr. Nguyen chose to buy wooden poles instead of cement poles to enhance the aesthetics of the garden.

Plump clusters of fruit in the vineyard. Photo: T.D

Mr. Nguyen said that to build the vineyard, he first bought sand (a type of sand mixed with soil, different from construction sand) to reclaim the abandoned land. Then, he raised the beds to prevent the grapevines from being flooded.

Next, Mr. Nguyen bought wild grapes to plant as raw materials. After about 2 months of planting, when the wild grapes were big enough, he cut off the vines, took the roots and grafted them with other grape varieties.

"Growing grapes like this will help the vines get used to the soil and become stronger than growing from pre-grafted grapes," Mr. Nguyen shared.

Mr. Nguyen installed an energy-saving irrigation system in his vineyard. Photo: T.D.

At the same time, to take advantage of the "golden land" in Ho Chi Minh City, instead of planting each grape vine 1.4m apart, Mr. Nguyen plants them 1.2m apart. For every 1,000m2, he plants 300 grape seedlings.

According to Mr. Nguyen, grapes do not have a season but depend on the health of the tree. Usually, a grape tree will produce one crop of fruit every 4 months. A skillful grape grower can harvest 2.5 crops of fruit per year.

Accordingly, grapes can bear fruit after 9-10 months of planting. After cutting the branches for more than ten days, the grapes flower. After 4 months, the grapes can be harvested.

"Currently, I grow grapes using a clean process using only manure and microorganisms. When the grapes flower and bear fruit, I use only cow manure to help the plants produce beautiful flowers and fruits. The grape yield is about 3 tons/1,000m2. Usually, the next harvest of grapes gives a yield about 20% better than the first harvest," Mr. Nguyen confided.

Implementing grape growing project with farmers

Although it has just opened, Mr. Nguyen's vineyard has welcomed many tourists to visit and experience. Photo: T.D

Mr. Nguyen shared that the recent vineyard construction was to implement a project to develop a green farm model, applying modern technology to sustainable agricultural production. Developing agricultural eco-tourism, creating an experience destination for tourists, students.

At the same time, produce clean agricultural products, do not use toxic chemicals, ensure food safety standards.

Contribute to enhancing the value of local agricultural economy, building sustainable value chains, connecting with stable consumer markets.

Through the project, he also wants to create jobs for local workers, especially farmers.

"First, we must grow grapes that meet VietGAP standards, then build a brand. After that, I will expand this model, and at the same time transfer varieties and technology to farmers. Besides, I will find consumption channels and guarantee products for farmers," Mr. Nguyen outlined his plan.

According to Mr. Nguyen, the income from growing grapes far surpasses many other crops. Photo: T.D.

According to Mr. Nguyen, growing grapes for rice is more profitable than growing rice and many other crops, provided that the technical process is followed correctly.

"I will cooperate with grape farmers and purchase products for them. People can grow grapes to sell products or grow them for tourism. Some groups of farmers in the city have come to visit and learn about grape growing techniques," Mr. Nguyen excitedly said.

Currently, Mr. Nguyen grows grapes and does ecotourism. In the garden, the price of grapes he sells to tourists is 200,000 VND/kg.

Ms. Duong Dang Thu Cuc, a tourist in District 12 (HCMC) said that this was the first time she visited Mr. Nguyen's vineyard and was very impressed with a vineyard full of dangling bunches of grapes.

"I have visited many vineyards but have never seen grapes grown as well as here, very beautiful!", Ms. Cuc shared.

Source: https://danviet.vn/dat-bo-hoang-lieu-trong-nho-bien-thanh-vuon-dia-dang-anh-nong-dan-sai-gon-nay-bat-ngo-trung-20250325042656201.htm