Camping tourism (camping) is an outdoor adventure form of pitching tents and setting up camps outdoors. Typically, camping sites are wide open lands, breezy, with mountains, rivers, lakes, and beautiful scenery and ensure safety for tourists to pitch tents, with friends admiring sunrises or sunsets. Associated with camping, tourists will experience hiking, biking, campfires, cooking, and barbecuing with ingredients already prepared and processed... Tourist Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh said: "I choose camping tourism because I want to find a quiet space with friends gathering, chatting, and regaining energy after a tiring week of work".

Starting operations in May 2023, Ngan Long Home & Camp is currently the most attractive camping site for tourists to come to Son Islet (Binh Thuy district). With an area of over 4,000 square meters, Ngan Long Home & Camp brings tourists an authentic countryside experience by the river. Here there are 10 camping tents nestled among the long-standing rambutan garden, next to irrigation canals and vegetable gardens. Ms. Nguyen The Ngoc, Director of Ngan Long Home & Camp, said: "Currently, camping tourism is popular because tourists want to return to nature. Leveraging the advantage of gardens and shady space, we have exploited this type of tourism in Son Islet and are the first camping site on the Islet. In addition to accommodation organization, we also link to build experiential journeys imbued with local characteristics. Accordingly, when staying and camping at Ngan Long Home & Camp, tourists will travel by boat, or bicycle to explore floating fish farms, watching poprice, flying fish, fruit orchards, making local folk cake... In addition, they can also experience outdoor activities such as archery, dart shooting, campfires, BBQ parties..."

Also exploiting the camping tourism model, Vo Song Farm (45F Truong Vinh Nguyen Street, Cai Rang District) brings tourists experiences full of farmstay vibes in the heart of the city. Mr. Trinh Van Luan, co-founder of Vo Song Farm, said: "Initially this was a farm in the middle of the city, where tourists came to check in the flower garden, take care of rabbits... but later guests had demands for evening parties, camping, so we exploited this model from October 2023. Initially, we only tested 5-6 tents for small families and friend groups, but demand has increased steadily, with larger guest groups. Now we have about 20 tents, attracting 50-60 people." Compared to before, Vo Song Farm has been expanded with more diverse experiential services. The 16,000 square meter area is divided into 6 areas: food, team building, camping, rabbit island, vegetable garden, check-in flower garden... bringing tourists many experiences. Vo Song Farm has an authentic farmstay vibe in the Mekong Delta with vegetable and flower gardens, ponds, canals, and fruit orchards... creating an amazing outdoor experience space. Mr. Trinh Van Luan said that most guests come to Vo Song Farm on weekends, with 60% participating in camping and BBQ parties, mostly youth.

While Ngan Long Home & Camp exploits camping tourism combined with community-based tourism, Vo Song Farm develops the camping tourism model combined with urban agriculture, Bao Gia Trang Vien (268 Huynh Thi Ngo Street, Cai Rang District) exploits the resort model combined with camping and recreational activities. With an area of 20,000 square meters, Bao Gia Trang Vien has the advantage of a fairly spacious green-covered area, a system of restaurants, and recreational areas with many outdoor games: boat racing, off-road vehicle racing, terrain climbing... Here tourists can rent tents to camp or use pre-pitched camping tents. They can also experience farm tours when visiting nearby Bao Gia Farm's melon and vegetable gardens. In the evening, tourists can have campfires with friends and family, enjoy a rich BBQ feast, and listen to acoustic music performances in a romantic ambiance.

Tourists experience camping tourism at Ngan Long Home & Camp. Photo: KIEU MAI.

It can be seen that camping tourism activities in Can Tho are exploited in diverse ways, according to local culture, with each site offering different experiential activities. For example, the Tron Tim camping site (Thoi Truong 1 Hamlet, Thoi Xuan Commune, Co Do District) on the outskirts of Can Tho (about 45km from the city center) has an ambiance linked to rice fields, along with many experiential activities meeting diverse entertainment needs of tourists, such as outdoor living, hiking, SUPing along canals, fishing, reading, guitar playing, team building... Meanwhile, Ann Village (185C, near Ong Tiem Bridge, Truong Vinh Nguyen Street, Cai Rang District) exploits outdoor adventure tourism in the glamping model, also a form of camping but with full amenities. At Ann Village, there are 18 tents, 2 bungalows facing the river, and 1 houseboat arranged along the canal. In addition to common outdoor activities like fishing, boating, biking, harvesting vegetables in the garden... Ann Village also offers new activities such as afternoon tea overlooking sunsets.

For tourists who love nature, camping is one of the experiences not to be missed. Camping tourism not only helps exercise health and spirit, strengthen emotional bonds between people but also cultivates many life skills and brings out local cultural beauty. In Can Tho, diversified camping tourism models offer many experiences, depending on time and cost, tourists can choose options suitable for relaxing entertainment while creating memorable moments with friends and family.