Thanks to an acquaintance’s recommendation, Linh's group of 10 friends from Can Tho City went to a durian garden of 25,000 m2 in O Mon district to visit on a holiday. This garden grows about 300 durian trees with 3 types of Ri6, Muangthong, and Musang King, which are cared for organically. Durian is in season, so visitors to the garden go everywhere to see fruit in all sizes dangling on the branches.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Oanh, a 52-year-old garden owner, said that he had been growing this durian garden for 5 - 6 years. In the past, he grew the orchard to sell durian to traders. For a year now, he has combined with eco-tourism, giving visitors free garden tours and serving country dishes from chickens, frogs, mice, snails, suckermouth catfish, giant gourami,  snakehead fish, salted sesarma mederi, etc. priced from 99,000 VND to 359,000 VND.

"What I'm impressed with here is the large and cool space. Taking photos and checking-in under the durian tree is also interesting. Although it’s often crowded here, we still order the food quickly at noon because we come here early. The food is delicious and priced reasonably. Those who come here later than us may not have a table", Ms. Linh shared.

Similarly, Ms. Mai's family in Long Xuyen, An Giang also enjoyed visiting the durian garden. "This was the first time that I saw the durian tree in real life. The trees are laden with fruit, and the garden doesn’t charge any entrance fee, so everyone spread out mats under the tree to sit and play. At noon, they would order food to enjoy on the spot," Ms. Mai added, although she was happy, but she was also a bit afraid of durian falling on her head.

Durian picked in the garden and countryside dishes. Photo: Kieu Tien

"On weekdays, it's only crowded on Saturdays and Sundays. On holidays, guests come in and out continuously, and the most crowded period is at noon. The garden has about 16 huts to serve guests but it is always full of guests. Each hut can serve a maximum of 15 people," said Mr. Oanh.

Sharing about tourists' fear of durian falling on their heads, Mr. Oanh said that visitors don't have to worry about that: "I have many years of experience in growing durian, so I know when the fruit is ripe. Currently, the fruit on the tree is still unripe and it doesn't fall off suddenly, so customers can rest assured," said Mr. Oanh with a smile.

Durian in the garden has about half a month to harvest. Photo: Huynh Nhi

The durian garden is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily, and visitors who want to have a meal here should book a table in advance. This place has ripe durian, and if you want to enjoy it in the garden, you can buy it for 70,000 VND/kg.

The attraction is about 2 km from Tac Ong Thuc bridge, O Mon district, located along the river, with a destination nameplate. However, the road to the garden is not convenient for cars, only motorbikes are recommended. At peak hours, many guests who have not booked a table in advance have to leave midway because the garden is crowded and they don’t want to wait.