Under the mild sunshine in Mai Chau, four French tourists, Pascal, Johan, Thierry and Sophie, eagerly stepped into the garden of a local family hosted by Thanh. They slipped off their shoes, walked barefoot across the soil and listened carefully as Thanh explained how to clear weeds and prepare planting beds.
Armed with hoes, the group awkwardly copied the movements of local farmers, at times bursting into laughter at their own mistakes. Yet their enthusiasm was unmistakable.
The visitors later planted vegetables before joining residents to harvest water spinach, which they boiled and shared during a traditional Vietnamese meal. While such tasks are routine for many Vietnamese people, the experiences carried a sense of novelty and authenticity for tourists from modern urban societies such as France.
Nguyen Van Tuan, the tour guide leading the group, said the concept of agricultural tourism was not new but had only gained significant popularity in recent years as more foreign travellers sought to “live like locals”.
According to Tuan, many overseas visitors now spend much of their time in Vietnam’s rural areas, meeting farmers and ethnic minority communities to better understand daily life and work practices.
A typical all-inclusive holiday lasting two to three weeks costs around EUR 2,000-3,000, covering flights, accommodation, meals and activities such as gardening, fishing and farming experiences. Daily expenses within Vietnam range from roughly EUR 70-80 per person.
Tuan said he had long wanted to develop tours centred on agriculture and everyday rural life, though language barriers and communication difficulties initially limited the model’s growth.
“Tasks such as gardening, collecting medicinal herbs or weaving may seem simple, but they require detailed explanations for visitors to fully appreciate them,” he said.
He added that the improving language skills of tour guides and better support tools had helped visitors overcome initial hesitation and become more willing to participate.
Instead of staying in luxury hotels, many travellers now opt for homestays, typically costing around VND 600,000 (approximately USD 23) per night for two people. The savings are often redirected towards local experiences and community spending.
However, Tuan noted that farming tours appeal to a specific group of travellers, particularly those staying in Vietnam for two to three weeks. Many come from France, Belgium or Canada and are especially interested in local culture and traditional lifestyles.
“Visitors from rural areas or southern France are often fascinated by these experiences because they want to compare them with life back home,” he said.
Each activity usually lasts one to two hours, allowing tourists to participate without becoming exhausted. Activities range from gardening and fishing to cooking, washing dishes, weaving baskets and even making brooms alongside local residents.
“Visitors are excited when they create something themselves,” Tuan said. “For example, they plant vegetables and later harvest water spinach from the garden to cook and eat. Eating food they harvested with their own hands gives them a completely different feeling.”
Vietnam welcomed 8.8 million international visitors during the first four months of this year, the highest figure ever recorded for the period. The country has already achieved 35 per cent of its 2026 target of attracting 25 million foreign tourists.