A Farmer in Sa Dec Earns Millions Every Day With Turning an Ornamental Flower Garden into a Check-In Attraction

In the heart of the Mekong Delta – Sa Dec, where agriculture and beauty meet, one innovative farmer has turned his ornamental flower garden into a vibrant tourist destination. By combining flower cultivation with experiential tourism, Mr. John Gia (43), once solely a grower of decorative plants, is now earning millions of Vietnamese Dong every single day – all year round, not just during the Lunar New Year season.

Beyond Seasonal Flower Sales

For decades, the cultivation of ornamental flowers around Sa Dec has been a seasonal affair, with growers primarily depending on Tet (the Lunar New Year) sales. Traditionally, residents would plant chrysanthemums, marigolds, and roses months in advance so that their blooms would be ready for Tet buyers. But in the past few years, local gardeners have started inventing new ways to share their craft throughout the year.

One such example is the Tan An Flower Cooperative, led by Mr. Gia, which covers nearly three hectares of land along Pham Huu Lau Street in Sa Dec City, Dong Thap Province. Of this large area, almost two hectares are dedicated to pathways, themed landscapes, and immersive photo spots where visitors stroll, admire, and take pictures among thousands of blossoms.

It’s become one of the most popular check-in spots in the region, with thousands of visitors arriving daily, from nearby provinces and even farther away to explore the floral landscapes and seasonal color displays. These scenes quickly go viral on social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, attracting even more visitors who want to see the gardens in person.

Ornamental flowers makes Sa Dec become a popular check – in place

Designing Instagrammable Moments

Entering the garden, visitors are greeted by hundreds of planters filled with brightly colored flowers arranged in patterns and shapes. Among the highlights are a giant National Flag installation and an enormous flower heart, built from more than 500 pots of chrysanthemums and zinnias. Each design took nearly a month to build, involving careful planning, steel framing, and thoughtful placement of colorful blooms.

Rather than simply wandering through flat fields, visitors explore paths set both on land and alongside shallow water features, mirroring Sa Dec’s unique cultivated landscapes. Because many flowers in this region are grown on raised trellises about 1.5 meters high, gardeners use small wooden boats to move between rows, trimming, watering, and fertilizing – a scene that has become a mesmerizing and poetic subject for photographers.

As visitors drift through the garden on these small boats, they experience firsthand the daily rhythm of Sa Dec flower farming – a blend of traditional skill, creativity, and nature. This type of immersive agricultural tourism is becoming a signature experience of southwestern Vietnam.

The colorful beauty of ornamental flowers

Early Preparation and Year-Round Growth

Although the garden now draws crowds year-round, much of the success stems from careful strategic planning. Even before winter arrives, Mr. Gia and his team begin sowing seeds and tending long-growing varieties such as large chrysanthemums, which take five to six months to bloom to perfection. By planting in March and April (lunar calendar), they ensure that flowers are at their peak during the Sa Dec Flower Festival and Tet celebrations.

This particular garden prepared over 200,000 pots of flowers this season, 70,000 more than the previous year, showing how farmers are scaling up their operations not just for sales, but for tourism. When the floral flag and heart were unveiled on December 19, 2025, visitor numbers surged. During the four consecutive days of the festival, roughly 3,000 visitors came daily, while those figures settled into 500–600 visitors on weekdays and about 1,500 on weekends after the New Year.

Mr. Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People’s Committee, visited the Tan An Ornamental Flower Production and Supply Group.

A Visitor Experience Like No Other

The response from visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. Many choose to wear traditional southern Vietnamese attire, like the ao ba ba, scarves, and conical hats, to capture authentic and vibrant photos. Some visitors describe that upon entering the garden, they feel transported back to classic scenes of the Mekong Delta, immersing themselves in both culture and nature.

Locals and tourists alike have been particularly captivated by the wide range of flower varieties on display, including not just traditional yellow chrysanthemums but also special colors like double-happiness red, fiery red, deep purple, and sunny yellow. These cultivars are often the result of careful cross-breeding by Sa Dec growers, created to meet an increasingly diverse market and traveler interests.

The boat rides through the flower fields have also become an iconic part of the experience. The image of a small wooden boat gliding amidst vibrant rows of blossoms is now one of Sa Dec’s most recognizable attractions. Most visitors choose to ride and be photographed aboard these vessels, adding another layer of engagement and storytelling to their trip.

Affordable Entry, High Value

To make the experience accessible, the garden charges a modest admission fee of just 20,000 VND per person (less than one US dollar). For that price, visitors can wander the extensive floral displays, pose for photos, enjoy the serene environment, and take home unforgettable memories.

This “grow flowers and do tourism” model has become recognized as an inspiring example of rural innovation. It provides local farmers with an additional revenue stream beyond selling plants, increases the value of their work, and offers tourists a chance to learn directly about the flower cultivation heritage of Sa Dec – a region with a strong reputation for ornamental horticulture.

A Growing Trend Across Sa Dec

While Mr. Gia’s garden is one of the standout examples, the trend of combining agriculture with tourism is growing quickly across Sa Dec. The wider region – home to thousands of flower growers and hundreds of cooperatives – now hosts festivals and events that attract local and international visitors. The Sa Dec Flower and Ornamental Plant Festival alone drew nearly 1.2 million visitors and generated close to 468 billion VND in revenue, highlighting how flowers are shaping both culture and economic opportunity in the area.

As local farmers continue to innovate and share their craft with the world, the once-quiet flower village along the Tien River is becoming a lasting tourist destination known for its beauty, creativity, and community spirit, proving that with vision and passion, even rural landscapes can bloom into year-round attractions.