Things to See & Do in Tra Que Vegetable Village

Visit Vegetable, Herb & Flower Gardens

The free and easy thing to do in Tra Que Vegetable Village is walking around and seeing gardens where lots of different herbs, vegetables, trees and flowers are grown by local farmers. If do not live in Vietnam, many of them may be new or strange to visitors. In the early morning or late afternoon, when farmers work in their farms, there are many opportunities to photograph or interact with them.

Here are vegetables, herbs, flowers and trees which visitors will see in the village: cay xa (lemongrass), kumquat, cay cau (areca palm), cay du du (papaya), khoai lang (sweet potato), rau ram (Vietnamese pepper mint), rau bac ha (mint), rau xa lac (lettuce), rau hung que (sweet basil), rau hung chanh (lemon basil), rau ngo (rice paddy herb), ngo tau (cilantro), hoa cuc (daisy), hoa hue (tuberose), hoa lay on (sword lily), hoa dong tien (transvaal daisy or ‘money flower’), cay buoi (grape fruit or pomelo), cay me (tamarin),…

We recommend visitors going with a local guide or somebody who speaks English, to know more information about veggies and herbs.

Farming Experience with Local Farmer

Tra Que is the only village where people cultivate vegetables and herbs in Hoi An. Especially here, the farmers are still using traditional manual, organic, environment-friendly methods that disappeared elsewhere in the country. To preserve this farming tradition, the Vietnamese government inscribed it to be a national intangible cultural heritage (in 2022). It’s the first of the kind which was officially honored at the national level. Nowadays, Tra Que village is home to 200 farmers and 55 types of vegetables and herbs.

‘Tra Que herbs’ are the best herbs in Hoi An for citizens. That’s why these herbs are used in all local food specialties such as cao lau noodles, mi quang noodles, banh mi sandwich, Pho noodle soup, more.

In Tra Que Vegetable Village, visitors can see and photograph local farmers during the day, and even join their daily work in their family’s gardens. In tours, the guide will take visitors to see one farmer (who has been working for so many years) and then he teaches or instructs all steps to grow vegetables like tradition. Sometimes, visitors wear farmer’s shirts and pants (black or brown color to look not dirty while working). The first step is digging the soil by hoe, to a depth of 40-50 centimeters, and removing small grasses. After that, ‘sun dry’ the soil for 2-3 days (maximum 10 days) to kill the grass or the diseases. In the past, it was even longer. In these ‘free days’, farmers will go to nearby swamps or beaches, to collect the weeds and then sun dry them and use them as fertilizers. This way of fertilizing is unique, different from anywhere else in Vietnam.

After ‘sun drying’ the soil, the farmers will water it and leave it for 1 night to make it softer. The next morning, they dig it by hoe again to a depth of 20-30cm (if growing vegetables) or 40-50 cm (if growing the garlic or spring onion), put the excavated soil aside and create a squared hole. To fertilize, farmers now shred the weeds and spread them around the hole’s bed, and then fill the hole with soil on the edges. The next step is using a rake to scoop and remove small stones/cubbles (not good for vegetable root growing) as well as making the soil softer and softer. Farmers also need to make a flat surface and make borders for the lot (used to not let the water run out and know the age of the veggies later).

Once they come to the garden for these soil processing, local farmers grow the seeds and have vegetable/herb babies. When everything about the soul is done, they use fingers to make small holes in line and row. On the next stage, just need to put veggie babies’ roots in the holes and cover them. Because the babies are not strong in the sun and need lots of water, farmers will water them immediately. Although an automatic watering system is available, here they still use two buckets and a shoulder pole (made of bamboo) to carry water and then water the young greenages. The gardens are far from rivers, so they often build a small pond (locals call it ‘well’) to store fresh water close to where they grow plants. Watering by the shoulder pole is the favourite part for many visitors because it’s fun and gives great photo opportunities. The last step is to use the net or leaf to cover herb babies from the sun.

Farming class/experience in Tra Que Vegetable Village is one of the best things to do in Hoi An with kids. If travel to Hoi An with your son or daughter, don’t miss it! It’s needed to book a tour because don’t know where to go and who should meet for the class. Language barrier is another reason to make a self-guided tour become more difficult.

Cooking Class at Tra Que Vegetable Village

A cooking class is a must-do activity in Tra Que Vegetable Village. It’s available everyday and we advise booking/reserving a class at least 1 day in advance to have spots.

To start the class, one of the local family members will show visitors how to grow vegetables and herbs in traditional ways (details above). Then, he/she introduces different kinds of herbs from their name, meaning of their name, how to pronounce their name in Vietnamese, how to use them in local cuisine and of course, the fragrance and the taste. While walking around, visitors also pick herb leafs to use for eating/preparing food in the class later.

When back to the family, visitors will wash hands and wear the chief’s apron and hat to start the class. Within 1-1,5hrs, a local shows how to make some Vietnamese classic dishes (such as papaya salad, rice pancakes, fresh or fried spring rolls,…) and the specialty dish of the village (tam huu or pork-shrimp-veggies rolls) by local ingredients and spices. With his/her demonstration and instruction, visitors do it themselves and have such fun hands-on experiences. At the end of the class, the recipes are shared to use later at home.

The value of the cooking class at Tra Que Vegetable Village is that visitors have experiences from garden to table, have the chance to meet local families, enjoy a such tranquil piece of countryside, and try the herbs at where they’re grown.

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Tomb of Nguyen Dien

In the East Zone of Tra Que Vegetable Village, visitors can see Nguyen Dien’s Tomb that was built in 1861. According to history, Nguyen Dien (1791-1852) is a high-ranking military mandarin who worked in the reign of Minh Mang, Thieu Tri and Tu Duc kings. He was in the second generation of Nguyen Van clan, one of founding families of Tra Que Vegetable Village. In 2008, his tomb was recognized as Quang Nam provincial historical site.

Tra Que Stone Well

This ancient stone well is in the East Zone of Tra Que Vegetable Village, near the Nguyen Dien Tomb. Nobody knows or remembers when it’s constructed, but for sure, it’s built and used by Cham people who lived in the area before the 14th century. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, merchants might stop here to take water because it’s close to one of major waterways. Nowadays, fresh water is still produced. Local farmers daily take the water from here to water vegetables and herbs in nearby gardens or use for cooking/drinking. This well is popularly known as ‘Tra Que Stone Well’.

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Rice Fields & Rivers near Tra Que Village

Around Tra Que Vegetable Village, there is a piece of Hoi An’s countryside, with rice fields, ancient Japanese tombs, lotus swamps, waterways, duck farms, herbs of water buffalo, prawn ponds, hanging fishing nets and bamboo fish traps. We recommend going around this area by walking or cycling, to learn about rural life and scenery. At the end of the day, watching the sunset from here is also stunning. If have time, Cam Thanh Coconut Village should be the next destination.

Try Local Herbal Drink

In Tra Que Vegetable Village, visitors also have the chance to try a local herbal drink, the sweet basil seed tea. It is made of tea, lime juice, sweet basil seed (hat e), ginger, and pandanus leaf. The entry ticket includes a cup of this beverage, so do not forget checking at the ticket counter. At many hotels in Hoi An, it’s the welcome drink!

Try Tam Huu Roll

Tam Huu, meaning ‘three friends’, is the specialty dish of Tra Que Vegetable Village. It is a roll of boiled pork belly, boiled shrimp and herbs that is wrapped by spring onion. Most veggies are grown and picked at the village. To eat, locals dip the roll into a chilli-garlic fish sauce. In some cooking schools, this food is on the menu to learn how to make. All restaurants in Tra Que Vegetable Village serve it if just want to try.  

‘Tra Que Victory’ Memorial Site

At the crossroad of Hai Ba Trung street and a small road leading inside the village, there is a memorial stele to commemorate ‘Tra Que Victory’. This event occurred in November 1968 in which local communist guerillas killed nearly 100 South Korean soldiers. If interested, visitors can come and read more information.