'Giving wings' to Thai Nguyen tea

After the merger, Thai Nguyen has nearly 25,000 hectares of tea plantations, of which more than 23,000 hectares are ready for harvest. Notably, the "First-Class Tea" now includes Shan Tuyet tea, grown at an altitude of over 1,200 meters above sea level, and Kim Hoa tea - "The Queen of Teas". With expanded geographical space, a diverse range of high-quality products, Thai Nguyen tea has even more "wings" to "fly" further...

A corner of the La Bang tea plantation.

Thai Nguyen tea has long been famous for its fragrant aroma and delicious taste, and is considered the "finest tea." Gathering around the tea table, sharing a drink, and savoring the flavors of nature and the land, allows those involved to open their hearts.

On those occasions, the tea lady would often begin by telling the story of Mr. Vu Van Hiet, who led a group of dozens of farmers from Tan Cuong, carrying rice balls and wearing straw raincoats, across the Tam Dao mountains to Phu Tho province to buy tea seeds for planting. In 1935, he brought his Canh Hac tea to the Hanoi Trade Fair, and at the Exhibition area, his Canh Hac tea was honored with first prize.

Crane Wing Tea is a type of tea made from one bud and two leaves, which are roasted until they shrivel. When mixed with boiling water, they expand, resembling a flock of cranes spreading their wings in flight, possessing an irresistible flavor for tea connoisseurs. Since then, Thai Nguyen has been known as the "Number One Famous Tea".

Now, exactly 90 years later, the proverb about Thai Nguyen tea has come alive again. Not only in Vietnam, but also in many countries around the world , when people come to Vietnam for work or tourism, they often boast to their relatives and friends about having visited the "Land of the Most Famous Tea" in Vietnam to drink authentic Thai Nguyen tea.

Ms. Do Thi Hiep, Director of Tan Huong Tea Cooperative in Dai Phuc commune, said: The cooperative was established in 2000, and after many efforts, in 2011, the cooperative's tea products were certified by Solidaridad and Unilever as meeting the international UTZ Certified standard. Since then, the cooperative has consistently maintained its title and product quality.

UTZ Certified has made Tan Huong tea the first Vietnamese tea product to meet all the requirements for integration and circulation in the international market. This product meets stringent standards in agricultural production, with all stages of production following a closed-loop system, from planting, caring for, harvesting, preserving, processing, and packaging.

Product quality builds a strong brand. The people of Thai Nguyen tea region are proud of this and unanimously agree to produce tea organically. Prioritizing food safety and hygiene, and placing consumer health first, the closed-loop production-to-consumption chain further enhances the prestige of Thai Nguyen tea. Currently, approximately 200 tea products throughout the province have achieved OCOP (One Commune One Product) certification, ranging from 3 to 5 stars.

The economic benefits are what motivate farmers to pay more attention to tea farming. Mr. Mai Viet Ai, from Go Phao hamlet, Tan Cuong commune, said: "To prevent tea products from being sold illegally, in recent years there has been a close link between farmers and tea dealers in the province. There is a high level of agreement between the parties in production and product distribution, all aiming to supply the market with high-quality products."

Visitors explore the Tan Cuong Tea Culture Space, which houses numerous documents and artifacts related to Vietnamese tea.

Over a cup of tea, the conversation took us back to the tea-growing regions upstream of the Cau River. With its centuries-old Shan Tuyet tea trees and the Kim Hoa tea plantations – a tea popularly known as the "Queen of Teas" – these areas have been companions of the ethnic minority communities in the highlands for generations.

Similar to the tea-growing areas in the midland region of Tan Cuong, Dai Phuc, and La Bang communes, the ancient Shan Tuyet tea-growing areas in Dong Phuc and Yen Binh communes have long been preserved and expanded by local farmers, who have invested in developing them along the value chain, building brands, and making tea a crucial economic crop that helps farmers sustainably reduce poverty and achieve legitimate wealth.

Currently, many cooperatives are working alongside farmers to build a worthy brand for Shan Tuyet tea, with diverse, high-quality products that are well-received by the market. Many cooperatives and businesses in the province have Shan Tuyet tea products that have been certified as OCOP (One Commune One Product) by provincial authorities, such as the Tat Va and Thai Lao agricultural cooperatives in Yen Binh commune; the Hong Ha cooperative in Dong Phuc commune; and Ngoc Thang Agricultural Development and Medicinal Herb Processing Company Limited in Cho Don commune.

Up in the mountains, where ancient Shan Tuyet tea forests thrive, the weather is much cooler year-round compared to the areas at the foot of the mountains. Shan Tuyet tea is completely different from tea from the midland region and other types of tea. A distinguishing feature is that when brewed, Shan Tuyet tea appears to be covered in a silvery-white layer. If it's a single bud, two-leaf tea, the brewed tea has a light yellow color, and the leaves spread wide, resembling the Crane Wing tea that Mr. Hiet from Tan Cang tea region brought to Hanoi for auction.

Along with the Mid-mountain tea varieties, hybrid teas, and Shan Tuyet tea, Thai Nguyen province also boasts Kim Hoa Tea, a special type of tea popularly known as the "Queen of Teas." Mr. Ban Van Mui, from Ban Mun village, Bach Thong commune, is one of the dynamic farmers who painstakingly went into the forest to collect tea seeds to plant in his garden. To date, his family owns more than 600 tea plants.

Mr. Mui shared: "Tea seeds, once planted in the ground, take root and sprout. Kim Hoa tea has yellow flowers, so it's also called yellow tea. The flowers are harvested from December of the previous year to the end of March of the following year, while the leaves can be harvested year-round."

Mr. Mui is one of dozens of families in Cho Don and Bach Thong communes who have achieved prosperity thanks to the golden tea plant. Mr. Ly Dinh Van, head of Ban Mun village, said: Currently, the "Queen of Teas" has brought many households an additional income of more than 100 million VND per year.

The family of Mr. Ly Van Long is a prime example. It is known that the "Queen of Teas" has been cultivated by people in Bach Thong and Cho Don communes, expanding the area to approximately 20 hectares. Currently, the "Queen of Teas" product of Nghia Ta Agricultural and Forestry Cooperative has achieved OCOP 3-star status. Meanwhile, the "Queen of Teas" product of BK Foods High-Tech Cooperative has achieved OCOP 4-star status.

Thai Nguyen tea is a popular choice for tourists as a gift.

Thai Nguyen tea is proudly exported not only to major markets around the world but also to numerous prestigious awards. For example, the "Tom Non" tea product of Ha Thai Tea Company in An Khanh commune was awarded the Silver Prize by the US and Canadian Tea Association in 2016. The "Dinh Vuong Pham" tea product of Tan Cuong Hoang Binh Tea Joint Stock Company in Dai Phuc commune received the Special Prize at the 2017 North American Specialty Tea Competition.

Thai Nguyen Tea Region proudly boasts high-quality tea products, chosen by consumers both domestically and internationally for personal use and as valuable gifts. In particular, the knowledge of cultivating and processing Tan Cuong tea has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. From now on, Thai Nguyen, known as the "Number One Tea Region," will have additional products: Shan Tuyet tea, harvested from high mountain slopes, and Kim Hoa tea – a tea dubbed the "Queen of Teas."

The return of these two regions has given wings to Thai Nguyen tea, opening up opportunities to reach larger markets. This not only expands the raw material area but also increases brand value, bringing the "Finest Tea" deeper into the global value chain.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202507/chap-them-canh-cho-che-thai-nguyen-31307cc/