Dream in the "pink capital"
The persimmon trees in Nam Anh commune, Nam Dan district have been "transforming" day by day. With the right orientation and creativity, daring to think and act of the people, the "persimmon capital" can completely become a tourist highlight in Uncle Ho's homeland.
The persimmon trees in Nam Anh commune, Nam Dan district have been "transforming" day by day. With the right orientation and creativity, daring to think and act of the people, the "persimmon capital" can completely become a tourist highlight in Uncle Ho's homeland.
Rose Garden Memories
Born and raised in Nam Anh, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa (57 years old) has spent her entire life with the persimmon tree. This tree with a spreading canopy and rough, cracked bark but bearing luscious fruit has witnessed many events, big and small, that she will never forget.
Mrs. Hoa and her friends of the same generation do not know.persimmonNam Anh has been around for a long time, only knowing that their childhood years were spent hanging on rose branches. Back then, rose trees were not planted as much as they are now, and any house that could grow rose trees was very precious. The children in the village, partly because of hunger and partly because of mischief, when rose season came, they would just wait for any house that was not paying attention to climb up and steal them.
"That time, while I was stealing persimmons with my friends, we were caught red-handed by the homeowner. The whole group quickly slipped down the tree and ran away. I was on a higher branch, only had time to drop all the persimmons on the ground and then climbed over to the next tree to deny my crime. No matter what the homeowner said, I refused to come down. I didn't answer when asked whose family it was. Only when they promised not to punish me and let me pick the persimmons to take home did I come down. And it was true that I wasn't punished, and was even allowed to pick the persimmons to take home," Ms. Hoa laughed, recounting a story from her childhood.
"Perhaps because she was grateful for the kindness of the persimmon tree owner, when she reached the age of marriage, no matter how many men expressed their interest, Mrs. Hoa only "chose" the son of the persimmon tree owner who had returned from the army one year" - a friend of Mrs. Hoa added.
And it was true, by some fate, Mrs. Hoa only liked the son of the owner of the rose garden. The love between Mrs. Hoa and her husband bore fruit, their first daughter was born exactly 37 years ago, also the year they planted the rose tree in front of the gate. The rose tree is now considered an ancient tree, regularly bearing bright red fruit every year. Their children have also gotten married, living a peaceful and happy life.
Under the rose canopy, in the stories of Nam Anh women, rose is not only a memory, a culture, a life, but also a sacred "heritage": "Back then, any family that had rose was quite well-off. If the harvest was good, they could sell a ton of each tree, which could be exchanged for rice, meat, and money to pay school fees... My family didn't have any, but I bought green rose bushes from other gardens, soaked them, and sold them at the market for a small difference. Thanks to that, we had more money to buy books, and my siblings were able to study until the end". "After getting married, my husband and I were given a small garden by my grandparents. My husband asked for some rose cuttings to plant - those were the first trees in the garden, money trees, silver trees that fed the whole family. Now life is more prosperous, income no longer depends on rose bushes, the children discussed cutting down rose bushes to build more houses, but my husband and I absolutely did not agree. As long as we are alive, the rose bushes will still be there". "I have never seen a persimmon tree with as many fruits as the one in front of my grandmother's house. One year, it alone harvested 300 kg. She loved that persimmon tree so much that she said, if I die, I will take the persimmon tree with me. Later, when she passed away, the healthy persimmon tree suddenly withered and died. Everyone said, it went with her"...
In the "persimmon capital", we have heard such heartfelt words about persimmon trees...
"Pink tourism"
From an economic perspective, many households choose to stick with rose gardens because this plant requires little care, has a long lifespan, flexible branches, can easily withstand storms, and brings in stable annual profits of up to hundreds of millions of dong.
But that’s not all, the benefits of rose trees also come from their beauty. In recent years, rose gardens in Nam Anh have become an ideal check-in spot for tourists. Following the rose trees, the tourism industry and local products seem to have grown.
From a photographic perspective, the special appeal of the rose garden in Nam Anh comes from the rustic, wild beauty of the rough old trees. In late autumn, when the persimmons turn orange, the persimmon trees begin to shed their leaves. When the “leaf coat” is completely removed from the trees, the plump persimmons hang in a row, bright red on the bare, weather-beaten rose branches, creating an interesting contrast. Along with the beauty of the persimmon trees, moss-covered stones, and lush green ferns on the brick floor, the garden owner also cleverly arranges additional miniatures such as tables and chairs, a piano, a swing, etc. In many photos, the rose garden exudes a magical beauty like the setting in a European fairy tale. That beauty is enough to convince many tourists in the province to come to Nam Anh during the persimmon season. The peak is from mid-October to mid-November.
Ms. Phan Thi Tuyet, an employee of a famous tourist destination in Nam Anh, shared: “During peak months, on weekends, our garden welcomes 500-700 visitors. On days when it is too crowded and there is not enough space to serve, we have to ask the owners of the surrounding gardens to open the doors and ventilate the garden so that visitors can get the most satisfactory photos. The neighbors here are also very open to support. Not only taking photos, visitors coming here can also eat and drink, borrow clothes, stay in air-conditioned rooms... Visitors who want to give gifts can buy persimmons in the garden or buy persimmon wine soaked by the garden itself.”
Saying that, Mrs. Tuyet took us to see the jars of persimmon wine that had just been soaked. Persimmon wine is soaked with green persimmons that have begun to turn yellow-brown, shimmering, and fragrant. The persimmon wine products that meet the 3-star OCOP standard are bottled, labeled, and sold right in the garden along with many other products of the company.localsuch as tangerine wine, soy sauce, tapioca starch...
The attraction of rose gardens has made many investors boldly build agricultural tourism spots with many accompanying services and utilities. “Five years ago, this place was a rocky, wild, steep rose garden. The investor had to spend a lot of money and effort to renovate the site, turning it into a complex of motels, swimming pools, camps... with full amenities. Nam Anh rose gardens are becoming more and more famous thanks to strong communication, inspiring experiences and inviting visitors from near and far,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa.
“We are preparing to renovate the rose garden before the peak season, from closing the fence, reinforcing the bridges, repainting the motels… We have to make sure that when the guests arrive, everything is ready for the best experience. That meticulousness is also the reason why we can go the long way, sustainably with the rose garden tourism model” – Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, owner of a rose garden resort in Nam Anh shared.
Another persimmon season is coming. Listening to the stories of the Nam Anh people, the confidences of the tourism workers about persimmons, I suddenly remembered the famous wind-dried persimmons of Da Lat. Who knows, one day, Nam Anh’s “persimmon dream” will also become a famous brand in the South and the North like that…
.jpg "Trả lời kiến nghị cử tri huyện Nam Đàn về bất cập trong đấu giá quyền sử dụng đất")
