For many farmers in Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam, buffaloes are also the highlights of eco-tours hosted by the Jack Tran Tours company. So in the Year of the Buffalo, they have more tales about the animals to tell than ever. Tran Van Khoa (third from the left, in green T-shirt) shows his visitors how to ride a buffalo. Photo courtesy of Jack Tran Tours Tran Van Khoa, sales manager and owner of the company, told Viet Nam News that the idea for the tour came to him on a field trip he took a group of foreigners to visit Tra Que vegetable village on the outskirts of ancient Hoi An Town 10 years ago. “The foreign tourists seemed to be interested in buffaloes eating grass,” he said. “They asked the owners to take photos with the cattle. They often tipped the farmers one or two US dollars for each photographing session. I thought the buffalo might be a special tourism product that will bring more income to farmers.” Over the time, the company has gathered nearly 20 farmer families who own some 100 buffaloes for wet rice tours, which offer tourists the chance to work in the field with buffaloes. Before the pandemic, each year the company received 2,000-3,000 guests, bringing each family VND10-15 million ($434-651) a year. Such a tour lasts for five hours when tourists try various farming tasks. Two junior tourists enjoy riding a buffalo in Tra Que Village. Photo courtesy of Jack Tran Tours “At first local farmers were not willing to join the service,” Khoa recalled. “They thought foreigners would never like dirty work in the field. I spent lots of time to persuade them.” Now the tour attracts mostly group tours and families at a ticket cost of VND1.3 million each including lunch at homestays. Local farmer Le Nhien, in his mid-50s, who has raised buffaloes since his childhood, is among the farmers who have worked the longest with the company. “We often choose strong male buffaloes for the job,” he said. “They are …
