Ecotourism is a type of tourism that both relies on traditional forms and integrates with the natural environment and local culture, thereby raising tourists' sense of responsibility, without causing harm to the natural environment and local culture. In Can Tho city, this type of tourism thrives in Phong Dien district, Binh Thuy district, Thot Not district.

Since April 2022, the number of tourists flocking to Can Tho has gradually increased. In particular, eco-tourism sites such as My Khanh tourist village, Ong De eco-tourism village, Lung Cot Cau tourist area (Phong Dien), Son islet (Binh Thuy) ... always have a large number of visitors every weekend, with an average of 500 -1,000 turns. Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoang, Deputy Director of My Khanh Tourist Village, said: “The number of tourists is gradually increasing, especially tourists from travel agencies. The return of groups of tourists gives us many positive signs of recovery”. Mr. Ho Quang Thong, CEO of Ong De Eco-Tourism Village, also shared his thought: "The number of tourists coming back is very large, I predict the peak season will be summer from June to August”.

Summer is also the time when Can Tho city is in the fruit season. Burmese grape, rambutan, longan, mangosteen, durian… all ripened from May to August. Le Thi Thanh Nguyet (a tourist from Hanoi), said: “I have been to Can Tho city a couple of times. This time, I came to Can Tho right at the fruit season. Here, the trees are green and the air is fresh, so my family loves it. The fruit eaten on-site is delicious”. Speaking of orchards, Phong Dien has many beautiful and popular fruit gardens.

Mr. Vo Thanh Giup, Director of the Center for Trade - Tourism Promotion and Management of Monuments in Phong Dien district, said: “In Phong Dien, there are more than 30 orchards for tourism. The flow of visitors to Phong Dien is mainly from the North and the Central region. The most crowded time is summer when the fruit is in full ripeness”. Ecotourism in Phong Dien district has its own characteristics because the locality has many perennial orchards, with delicious specialties. Notably, the communes of My Khanh, Nhon Ai, and Nhon Nghia have many garden spots and a variety of fruit trees. The owner of Rach Ke garden (My Khanh commune), said: “The people who visit my place are usually regular customers because they accept the way of doing natural tourism here. My garden has many perennial trees, so it has green and cool space. I also link with the surrounding garden owners so if guests want to visit any other orchards, I will lead them."

In Can Tho city, there are many famous destinations with orchards such as Tan Loc islet (Thot Not), and Son islet (Binh Thuy). Tan Loc islet is famous for many specialty fruits, such as bell apples, mangoes, rambutans, guavas, and so on. However, since it is far from the city center (more than 40km), the number of tourists coming here is not much. Meanwhile, Son islet attracts more tourists because of its diverse experiences. The orchards in Son islet are very diverse and laden with fruits, such as Nam Phuoc rambutan garden, Nam Minh longan garden, Thanh Tam guava garden, Sau Canh longan garden, Phuong My pomelo garden, etc. Trung Nghia (a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City) said: “Son islet has many cool gardens. Fruit trees here are also diverse and very sweet. I really like Son islet, because I feel at home when being here.”

Grasping the trend of eco-friendly tourism, many tourists choose ecotourism. Therefore, many garden owners in Can Tho also focus on expanding green areas. Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoang, Deputy Director of My Khanh Tourist Village, said: “Besides the usual services, we concentrate on building more orchards. The orchards occupy about one-third of the tourist area and have more than 20 specialty fruits of Phong Dien district and Can Tho city. We plant more trees, flower gardens, and rebuild craft villages for visitors to have more experiences.” Mr. Ngo Trong Phu, owner of Phi Yen fruit garden eco-tourism area (Phong Dien), shared: “Visitors now tend to choose green destinations, close to nature. Therefore, I keep my fruit garden like the old garden of my grandparents. I also plan to expand the planting of fruit trees”. Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Ho Quang Thong, CEO of Ong De Eco-Tourism Village, said: “A lot of tourists come here looking for orchards, so we also connect with many surrounding garden spots. On the one hand, we want to increase the experience for visitors. On the other hand, we also help the local people make extra income”.

It can be seen that eco-tourism in Can Tho is developing strongly and has a lot of untapped potential. Identifying ecotourism as one of the local strengths, the tourism sector of Can Tho city also has many orientations to promote the development of this type.

The localities of Phong Dien, Binh Thuy, and Thot Not all have specific development plans for tourism. Notably, Phong Dien is currently planning and orienting to develop eco-tourism. Specifically, the district is implementing the division of development zones of agricultural belts associated with eco-tourism: areas for eco-tourism sites and resorts associated with garden picnics; a concentrated vegetable cultivation area, and the village of ornamental flowers and ornamental plants.

Meanwhile, Can Tho city also has a tourism project calling for investment. It is the Phong Dien eco-tourism area with a total area of 40 hectares, in order to exploit the advantages of the river and garden in the district of Phong Dien, forming an entertainment area combining eco-tourism and relaxation such as resorts, homestays, restaurants, amusement parks typical of the region, cultural experience area.