Ben Tre famous for orchards and coconut gardens

Travelling by boats along rivers and canals intertwined under the shade of coconut trees in southern Ben Tre province, visitors can enjoy traditional special dishes in its orchards and coconut gardens.
In Ben Tre, tourists have a chance to look at fine handicraft items made from coconut materials such as sandals, dolls, small baskets, bed lamps and vases. They can also watch how coconut candy is made and taste it right at the workshops. The province is also well known for other candies making villages, ornamental trees and ancient houses.
The province chose tourism for economic development in parallel with orchards economy and fisheries with many tours to traditional craft villages and orchards. Deputy Director of Ben Tre's Commerce and Tourism Service Nguyen Duy Phuong said that his province has encouraged local people to join the tourism industry while the State being responsible for infrastructure.
Famous names like Con Phung tourist resort in Chau Thanh district, famous ornamental flower farms in Cho Lach district and the Church of Cai Mon have become familiar with tourists.
Ben Tre is a leading Mekong Delta province in terms of orchard tours with 29 destinations. Furthermore, local people also introduce their guests to traditional crafts and folk culture.
Let's take Vo Van Phuc's family in An Khanh commune, Chau Thanh district as an example. Visiting his garden where he raises bees for honey, tourists can enjoy not only honey products but also "don ca tai tu" (amateur music playing) which is the region's specific identity.
The provincial tourism revenues in 2005 reached VND 83 billion, sharply up from VND 45.5 billion in 2002. Almost 151,000 foreign tourists visited Ben Tre in 2005, up from 110,000 in 2002.
Since early 2006, more than 20 tourist agencies from many parts of the country have organised tours to Ben Tre's tourist sites. The province welcomed more than 26,000 foreign tourists and 53,000 Vietnamese visitors in the first three months of the year.
In 2006, the province is now calling for investments in 5 tourism projects worth tens of millions of US dollars. They are the Con Phung tourist resort (in Chau Thanh district), the eco-tourist resort of Vam Ho Bird Colony (Ba Tri), the My Thanh An eco-tourist and entertainment complex (in Ben Tre town), the Con Oc eco-tourist resort (Giong Trom) and the Con Noi eco-tourist resort (Mo Cay).
(Source: VNA)