Tra Que Vegetable Village

Tra Que Vegetable Village in the central Quang Nam Province’s Cam Ha Commune, near Hoi An, has existed for at least 500 years and grows several vegetables and herbs though savoury, an aromatic herb, is its most famous product.Known as “rau hung” in Vietnamese, and similar to basil and mint, its leaves are widely used in Vietnamese cooking.

In the village, the vegetable growers are called ‘artisans’ and not ‘farmers’ because the entire farming process, from tilling the land, digging furrows, and planting seedlings, is done artistically.

A veteran Hoi An farmer, Cao Ngoc Day, said further the village’s soil, enriched by alluvium from the local De Vong River, and its traditional farming techniques gave “rau hung” its special fragrance.

"The farmers use neither manure nor chemical fertilisers but a kind of algae found only in a lagoon in Tra Que," Day said.

As a result, the vegetables both look beautiful in their fields as well as possessing outstanding taste and flavour.

"The savoury here is really tasty," attested Margit Martin, a foreign tourist visiting the village. "Supermarkets in my country sell several kinds of Vietnamese savoury but they don’t have as much flavour as this one."

Now, Tra Que vegetables are sold to many restaurants and hotels in Hoi An, Da Nang, and Ha Noi.The village has some 131 families farming, besides savoury, also cabbage, colza or rape, celery, kohlrabi, and herbs.

Many residents admit they do not know when their village first began to grow vegetables. A woman farmer named Ba said: "I was told by my grandfather it first started in Tra Que since the time of the grandfather of my great-great grandfather .The older people in the village always tell us the village has existed for at least 500 years."

The residents have now found a newer way to supplement their income: tourism. Thanks to its special features, the village has become a very attractive destination for tourists, particularly foreigners. In fact, it is so popular that people wishing to visit the village would have to book a tour in advance. The highlight of the visit is a chance to try their hand at actual farming. They can help plough the land, make beds, plant seedlings, and water them.

"I enjoyed the work though I’ve never worked on a farm before," a German tourist, said.

Pham Van Dung, deputy director of the Hoi An Tourism Company, said around 1,000 tourists visited Tra Que every year.

With a steady income from both farming and tourism, residents’ living standards had improved significantly.

Source: www.rauhoaquavietnam.vn