Ripe vineyards just outside Da Nang

Without having to go to Ninh Thuan, many people can now pick and enjoy ripe bunches of grapes at farms right on the outskirts of Da Nang City.

Vườn nho thung lũng Nam Yên (xã Hòa Bắc, huyện Hòa Vang) nhìn từ trên cao - Ảnh: NAM YÊN — *Nam Yen valley vineyard (Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district) seen from above - Photo: NAM YEN*

New suburban destination with vineyards

About 20km from the center of Da Nang city, Nam Yen valley vineyard (Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district) is in harvest season these days.

This is one of the few farms in Da Nang City that successfully grows famous grape varieties such as seedless black grapes, candy grapes...

In addition to creating economic value, vineyards also become tourist attractions. Many people enjoy transforming into farmers to pick ripe bunches of grapes from the trees.

Nhiều du khách thích thú khi được hóa thân nông dân để chăm sóc vườn nho - Ảnh: THANH NGUYÊN — *Many tourists enjoy being transformed into farmers to take care of the vineyard - Photo: THANH NGUYEN*

"This is the first time I have experienced grape harvesting, which I have only seen on TV before. It feels great to enjoy grapes picked by my own hands," said tourist NTH.

Grapes after being picked are sold at 150,000 VND/kg. Entrance fee is 50,000 VND/person.

According to the owner of the Nam Yen Valley vineyard farm - Mr. Le Quoc Hien, after 2 years of care, nearly 1,000 grapevines in the garden have begun to produce stable fruit.

The farm is also testing two new grape varieties: peony grapes and black finger grapes.

In addition, Mr. Hien also grows some other fruit trees such as longan, red-fleshed jackfruit, strawberries... to serve the sightseeing and experience needs of tourists.

"Since the vineyard has borne fruit, the number of visitors coming to the farm has increased sharply. Thanks to that, we have additional income from other services such as picnics, camping, dining, etc.," said Mr. Hien.

Nho sau khi thu hoạch được bán với giá 150.000 đồng/kg -Ảnh: THANH NGUYÊN — *Grapes after harvest are sold for 150,000 VND/kg - Photo: THANH NGUYEN*

Care for grapes like a baby

To produce bunches of ripe grapes, Mr. Hien spent nearly 3 years learning about grape growing and care techniques from many places. He said that the soil and climate conditions in Da Nang do not greatly affect the development of grape varieties taken from Ninh Thuan. However, in order for grapes to produce a lot of fruit, they need careful and technical care.

"Before the time for the grapes to flower, I have to prune unnecessary branches and leaves so that the tree can focus its nutrients on growing fruit. Especially with the weather in Hoa Bac, which often has thunderstorms, growers should take care of the grapes to flower during long sunny days, to increase the fruit set rate," Mr. Hien shared.

Grapes usually bear fruit in the dry season and it takes more than 3 months to harvest a crop. So unlike Ninh Thuan, grapes grown in Da Nang can usually only be harvested once a year. To serve visitors, Mr. Hien has taken the initiative to take care of the grape trees in the garden so that they take turns bearing fruit.

Mr. Hien added that grapes bear fruit strongly from the third to the eighth year. When planting, grapes should not be allowed to climb too high, because it will reduce productivity and cause difficulties when harvesting. Currently, his farm is building a low trellis for grapes to climb in a Y shape, avoiding windstorms that break branches, saving space and making it easier to care for the plants.

With the desire to turn Hoa Bac into a new eco-tourism destination, Mr. Hien has passed on all his grape growing experiences to many other farms. He hopes that with the development of the eco-tourism model, Hoa Bac will become an attractive destination for tourists in the near future.