The only thing better than farm to table? Table in the farm!
Since I’ve moved to Vietnam, I’ve been inspired to dig deeper into the food scene here …literally. I mean, down and dirty dig-a-hole-in-the-soil-deep. The country’s population is 65% rural , most of which are still farmers. While that number is rapidly decreasing every year as the city populations increase and the country becomes more industrialized, many farmers still practice very traditional and small-scale farming techniques. From the market ladies who ride into the cities from the countryside every morning to sell their produce, to the acres upon acres of rice paddies that fill up Vietnam’s land, agriculture is ingrained in the culture here (get it!). Now, being the foody that I am, I came to realize that in order to fully understand the food here, I have to understand where it comes from.
How? By getting my hands dirty, of course!
Lucky for me, I happen to live right next to Hoi An, famous for its organic farming. If you read my last Hoi An post, you’ll know that I have a real hate-love relationship with it. Love the beauty, hate the herds of tourists. Well, go 2km outside of the tourist-flocked old town, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by bright green rice paddies, water buffalo peacefully bathing in baths of mud, and organic family-run farms.
Cue! That’s where the family at Tra Que Water Wheel comes in.
Tra Que is a tiny village 2 km outside of Hoi An Ancient Town, made up entirely of families who have lived there for centuries practicing organic farming. Named after the fragrant herbs the village produces, the family at Tra Que Water Wheel has been cultivating organic crops for generations. Because Hoi An has become such a wildly popular tourist destination in the past decade, they decided to open up their home farm to visitors so they can get a truly local experience – by understanding traditional Vietnamese countryside life, Vietnamese family culture, and of course, Vietnamese food.
Now, I just gotta preface by saying normally I avoid tours like the plague. BUT – this one was different. It didn’t feel as much like a tour, as it did a family welcoming us into their home.
Rice hats ready? Let the tour begin!
Bright n’ early, we met Ha, our bubbly tour guide and daughter of the Tra Que Water Wheel family. First stop, the local market!
Then, the 5 of us (my 3 friends and Ha) piled onto a basket boat, where we were taught to maneuver one of those things like the fisherman do – IT AIN’T EASY. Madddd rivercred. Fun fact! Did you know Vietnamese basket boats are made entirely from bamboo, tar and water buffalo poop? Yup…you heard right! Here’s a pic I snapped when Ha was explaining that to us…
…and us! Whattya think, tourists or locals??
Next stop…Lady Gaga! No, not the singer. The water buffalo! We were taken to a part of their farm where “Uncle” keeps his water buffalo, and were taught to ride her like the rice farmers do. For centuries, rice farmers have been using water buffalos as a means of transport around the rice paddies. Uncle has had Lady Gaga for 25 years, and their love for each other is just adorable. When we were asking him questions (Ha as a translator) about Lady Gaga, he said “people have tried to buy him from me for his horns for lots of money, but I refuse. He is my best friend”.
Now…time to get down n’ dirty! We were taken to the herb farm, where their family has been cultivating 100% organic veggies for as far back as they know, using the traditional method of seaweed to fertilize the plants. We joined Ha’s aunt as she was planting new basil and cilantro plants, and learned the traditional technique used for small-scale Vietnamese farming. Let me tell ya…that shi* is DIFFICULT. This NYC girl is definitely not meant for the farm…
Welp, I tried (sorry Ha!). Back to the part I’m good at…eating! Next, we learned how to make fresh homemade rice paper. Traditionally, Vietnamese families used to make their own rice paper from scratch for their spring rolls. Using their centuries’ old family tools, we made our very own rice paper, and of course, rolled them up into stunning spring rolls! Look at C-Man go!
To the kitchen! Using the farm’s produce, we were taught how to cook two traditional Vietnamese dishes: scallion wrapped shrimp and pork, and banh xeo aka Vietnamese sizzling crepe (more on banh xeo here!).
AND FINALLY…MANGIA! We ate and ate, until we couldn’t eat anymore. We ate what we cooked, we ate what they cooked, and then some. The family cook made us braised fish in a clay pot and papaya salad, and it was all SO farmlicious. I mean…delicious.
To anyone visiting Hoi An, I couldn’t recommend this experience more. No, I didn’t receive a penny to write this post – in fact, I had no intentions of writing about my experience, until after it was over and I left with that warm, fuzzy feeling filled with love and a full stomach! I want to get the word out there – to help sustain this lovely family, the small organic farming community in Hoi An, and of course, hook you (travelers!) up with an authentic Vietnamese experience filled with love, Viet-hospitality and good food. 
To Thuong the owner (mom), Ha our tour guide (daughter), “Uncle” and “Aunty” – cám ơn (thank you) for the incredible day! We will be back!
How could you not share this wonderful experience?? This is so awesome!
I saw the video where you tried to use those watering cans and died laughing hahahaha ^_^ This should be a thing in every country of the world, I think that empowering the farmers could solve a whole lot of problems at their roots…
(By the way, what’s that sign that your friends are doing with their fingers in your group picture? I’ve seen it quite often but couldn’t figure out what it means…)
Hahaha yea those watering cans are freaking HEAVY. Seriously, so much props to those 50+ year old women who lug them around all day, they are my heros! I couldn’t agree more with you about empowering farmers. And that sign that my friends are doing is the K-Pop heart (Korean pop music)! It’s a really popular thing here in Asia, everybody does it in photos. It’s kind of like the “new” peace sign!