On the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, residents of Tra Que vegetable village in Cam Ha commune, Hoi An city, in the central province of Quang Nam gathered for the Cau Bong festival, expressing gratitude to their village's founders, praying for favourable weather and bumper crops, while also providing foreign tourists with a chance to experience a day as a farmer in the festive atmosphere.
According to the legend passed down by the local elders, farmers of Tra Que village used to be fishermen along the Co Co river. After many years, fishing became increasingly difficult, so they gradually shifted to agricultural cultivation.
Legend has it that during a visit to Hoi An by a Nguyen Dynasty King, he sampled vegetables from the village. After tasting and inquiring about the village's name, he bestowed the name Tra Que instead of the old name Nhu Que, a homage to the essence of its fragrant and pure harvests, akin to the delicate aroma of tea leaves.
Starting with growing various types of flowers, they began to specialise in vegetable cultivation because the vegetables grown here all have a delicious taste that cannot be matched elsewhere. From then on, the rows of lettuce, coriander, onions, and cilantro gradually sustained the local people and elevated Tra Que into a renowned hub of agriculture.
Then, every beginning of the year, the villagers hold a festival at the communal house courtyard. The seven neighborhoods in the village prepare trays filled with fragrant offerings and solemnly parade them to the communal house altar.
Spirited competitions, from vegetable cultivation to New Year cake-making, further enliven the festivities, attracting hundreds of participants from near and far.
In recent years, the allure of "A Day as a Farmer in Tra Que" tour has surged, beckoning tourists to explore the daily rhythms of village life.
