Visitors enjoy the breeze at Vietnam’s first and biggest wind farm

For many Vietnamese, the name “Bac Lieu” triggers memories of a dandy of the same name, an imaginary character created in the late 19th-early 20th century to parody rich kids in the Mekong Delta province. They also recall the iconic song, Da Co Hoai Lang, from Cai Luong musician Cao Van Lau who lived in Bac Lieu City. Now there is a new reason to think of Bac Lieu - the wind farm in Dong A Hamlet, Vinh Trach Dong Commune.

This is the largest wind farm in Vietnam with 62 turbines. Each tower is 82 meters high and has blades 41.7 meters long. Work on the wind farm began in 2010, but only recently has it attracted people’s attention.

The ideal time to visit the wind farm is early morning or afternoon to watch the sunrise and sunset. It is the only wind farm in Vietnam and the first one in Southeast Asia to be built on the continental shelf.

From Bac Lieu City, the capital city of Bac Lieu Province, take Cao Van Lau Road for about 20km to the sea, and you will reach Dong A Hamlet. From the city square or Bac Lieu’s 3 conical hats theater, visitors can see the giant blades on the skyline.

This huge field of windmills is designed to exploit Bac Lieu’s wind potential and connect it to the national grid. The farm has 24-hour security.

In the past, anyone wanting to visit the farm had to contact the site management in advance. Visitors coming from afar could manage to get in sometimes by seeking permission from the security personnel at the gate. But on discovering increasing interest in the farm, the investors have begun to sell tickets at VND20,000 ($0.86) per person.

The investor was not open to the idea of having visitors, said Cao Xuan Thu Van, director of Bac Lieu's Tourism Department. "It took us three years to convince the investor and make it a tourist destination," she said. Her department plans to work with the investor to add several features to the farm to make it more tourist-friendly and attract even more visitors.