“Double boost” for Thai Nguyen tea industry

Tea has long been a staple crop, deeply associated with the lives and culture of Thai Nguyen people. Faced with the requirements of integration and sustainable development, the tea industry needs a new direction to maximize its potential and advantages. In 2025, Thai Nguyen province issued two important resolutions, considered a "double push" to create opportunities to enhance the brand and value of tea trees.

Thematic resolutions of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Council are an important "push", creating motivation for key tea regions in the province to develop sustainably and effectively. Photo: Vu Kim Khoa

From a "correct and accurate" resolution

Thai Nguyen has long been considered the "tea capital" of the country. After the administrative unit consolidation (from July 1, 2025), the province has nearly 24,000 hectares of tea, of which nearly 23,000 hectares are producing, with an average yield of nearly 130 quintals/ha. The whole province currently has 207 processed tea products certified by OCOP from 3-5 stars. The annual value of tea products is estimated at over 13,000 billion VND.

However, compared to its potential and available advantages, Thai Nguyen tea industry has not yet fully exploited its value. Notably, the production scale is still small; the products are not diversified, there are not many deeply processed products; connection and promotion activities are still limited, the province has not yet attracted many potential enterprises to participate in investing in production, processing and consumption of products according to the value chain...

Developing tea plants in a sustainable manner, enhancing value and brand has become an urgent requirement for Thai Nguyen. On February 3, 2025, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU on developing the tea industry in the period 2025-2030. This Resolution is considered "correct and accurate", because it comes from practical requirements and is consistent with the aspirations of people, businesses and cooperatives.

Tea trees not only bring a prosperous life to Thai Nguyen people, but also create beautiful natural landscapes, attracting tourists.

The Resolution focuses on many key groups of solutions, such as: Strengthening leadership and direction in production development, processing and business to increase the value of the tea industry; reviewing and perfecting the planning of production areas towards concentration, specialization and application of high technology; promoting research and transfer of scientific and technological advances in the entire value chain from breeding, planting, harvesting to processing.

Along with that, consolidate and develop the Thai Nguyen tea brand associated with advertising, trade promotion and product consumption activities. At the same time, continue to improve mechanisms and policies, mobilize resources to create a driving force for sustainable development for the tea industry.

To concretize the content of the resolution, departments, branches, units and localities in the province have actively coordinated to implement it. Currently, the whole province is focusing on guiding, managing and monitoring tea growing area codes; reviewing and synthesizing the tea area registered for VietGAP certification; implementing many scientific and technological topics and projects directly related to tea plants.

A typical example is the Project on research and application of digital transformation technology in protecting intellectual property rights and promoting and promoting trade for Thai Nguyen tea products. The project synchronously deploys tools on intellectual property, standards, measurement and quality, combined with digital transformation to promote the value of the geographical indication "Tan Cuong" associated with the National Intangible Cultural Heritage "Knowledge of growing and processing Tan Cuong tea".

Along with that, the province also deployed the application of science and technology to test biological products to remove moss and prevent diseases in tea production according to organic standards, linked with value chain linkages in the area.

Visitors enjoy Thai Nguyen tea at the National Achievements Exhibition with the theme "80 Years of Journey of Independence - Freedom - Happiness", held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day September 2.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment has coordinated with localities to organize training and propaganda for more than 11,600 project participants to learn about food safety regulations, production and processing techniques, linking tea product consumption and tea industry development orientation for the period 2025-2030...

More motivation for tea to go far

While Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee defines the vision and strategic orientation for the tea industry, on July 30, 2025, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 08/2025/NQ-HDND on policies to support the development of the tea industry. This Resolution is considered a "double push", concretizing the Provincial Party Committee's policy with practical support mechanisms. Accordingly, Thai Nguyen will allocate more than 500 billion VND to promote production, processing, increase product value and exploit tourism potential associated with tea trees.

The support policies are designed specifically and comprehensively. The province supports 100% of the cost of buying tea seeds for new planting or replacement planting. For fertilizers, the budget will support 70% of the cost of buying organic fertilizers and organic microorganisms for the first year of new planting.

In addition, the province also supports certification of good agricultural practices (VietGAP or other GAP), with 100% of the initial certification cost, up to 6 million VND/ha; at the same time, supports 100% of the re-certification cost, up to 4 million VND/ha for organizations and individuals that meet the conditions on tea production scale.

This is the important foundation for the Thai Nguyen tea industry to develop comprehensively in a sustainable direction, increase value and affirm its brand in the market. These support policies are becoming a direct driving force for key tea regions, while opening up stable and long-term development opportunities for tea growers, cooperatives and localities.

With many specific support mechanisms and policies, cooperatives have the opportunity to expand their scale and improve production efficiency. In the photo: Product packaging at La Bang Tea Cooperative.

La Bang commune currently has more than 1,135 hectares of tea, with an average fresh tea bud yield of about 138 quintals/hectare. In the area, there is 1 company and 13 cooperatives participating in production and processing. Many units have boldly applied technology such as electric tea roasting machines, continuous packaging machines, etc., contributing to improving productivity and product quality. Not only focusing on production, cooperatives also directly build brands, promote and consume products, thereby increasing the value of tea trees and improving people's lives.

Mr. Do Huu Thuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Tan Tra Viet Cooperative (La Bang Commune), said: Policies such as granting growing area codes, VietGAP and organic certifications or investing in modern machinery will help the Cooperative improve its production capacity, create high-quality products, and be competitive. This is also the driving force for Cooperatives to link production with brand building and expand domestic and foreign consumption channels.

Mr. Duong Van Vuong, Vice Chairman of La Bang Commune People's Committee, said: The commune aims to reach more than 16,000 tons of fresh tea buds by 2030, with an average product value of about 680 million VND/ha. The locality aims for 70% of the tea area to be certified as VietGAP or organic, 70% of the area to be granted a growing area code; to develop at least 3 3-4 star OCOP products and 1 5 star OCOP product. The implemented support policies will become a great opportunity for La Bang to realize the goal of developing tea trees in a safe and sustainable direction.

Not only stopping at traditional green tea trees, the new policies also create opportunities for the development of the local specialty Shan Tuyet tea variety. In Dong Phuc commune, there are currently 340 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea, of which 316 hectares have been harvested, 10 hectares are cultivated according to VietGAP standards and 10 hectares meet organic standards.

With its unique flavor and high economic value, Shan Tuyet tea is increasingly affirming its position as a key crop in the commune's agricultural production structure, while also providing a stable source of income for hundreds of households.

The province's support policy opens up opportunities for Shan Tuyet tea trees to develop sustainably. In the photo: People of Dong Phuc commune harvest Shan Tuyet tea.

The issuance of supporting resolutions is an important driving force, creating conditions for this specialty tea variety to develop sustainably, from seed investment, application of cultivation techniques to brand building and trade promotion. Thereby, Shan Tuyet tea in Dong Phuc commune not only affirms its position in the province but also expands opportunities to reach out to large markets, actively contributing to the goal of enhancing the value of the Thai Nguyen tea industry.

Ms. Trieu Thi My, a Shan Tuyet tea grower in Na Bay village, Dong Phuc commune, shared: People hope that support policies will soon be put into practice, especially investment in processing machinery, VietGAP certification, organic and product promotion. With the support of the State, Shan Tuyet tea will certainly increase in value, creating trust for people to stick with this crop for a long time.

In recent times, with the support of the government and the efforts of the people, Dong Phuc commune has achieved many positive results in building the Shan Tuyet tea brand.

Currently, Dong Phuc has 3 products recognized as 3-star OCOP and 1 product as 4-star OCOP, affirming the potential and quality of the tea specialties here.

Mr. Trieu Duc Thong, Vice Chairman of Dong Phuc Commune People's Committee, said: The province's support resolutions are a great opportunity for the locality to increase the value of Shan Tuyet tea. The commune will make the most of its resources to expand the area certified by VietGAP and organic; invest in modern processing technology for cooperatives and people to promote deep processing and increase value. At the same time, the commune aims to link the development of Shan Tuyet tea with community tourism, creating sustainable livelihoods for people.

Thai Nguyen’s issuance of two important resolutions is a “double push” to create strong resources for people, businesses and cooperatives to invest in safe, organic production, while promoting deep processing and product diversification. With this strategy, the province aims to increase the value of tea products to 25 trillion VND by 2030, affirming its position as the “tea capital” of Vietnam and gradually expanding its footprint in the international market.

Development goals of Thai Nguyen tea industry by 2030 according to Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee:

The total tea area of ​​the province is about 24,500 hectares, the output of fresh buds is over 300,000 tons. 70% of the tea area is certified for production according to GAP and organic standards, 70% of the area is assigned a growing area code. 100% of tea production, processing and trading facilities ensure food safety regulations.

100% of enterprises and cooperatives with raw material areas apply digital technology in the entire production, processing, preservation and consumption process, ensuring transparency and traceability. At least 250 tea products are certified with 3-5 star OCOP, of which at least 6 products are OCOP 5 star. 100% of tea products and tea products are commercialized on digital platforms.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202509/cu-hich-kep-cho-nganh-che-thai-nguyen-f244b69/