Positioning the culinary tourism of the tea region.

In the rapidly evolving tourism landscape of Thai Nguyen, the land of tea, cuisine stands out as a unique cultural resource, both familiar and captivating. From the renowned "First-Class Tea" of Tan Cuong, the sticky rice cake of Bo Dau with its story of "round sky, square earth," to the ethnic dishes rich in the flavors of the Viet Bac mountains, all are becoming important foundations for building the brand and positioning of Thai Nguyen's tea-growing tourism cuisine.

In the rapidly evolving tourism landscape of Thai Nguyen, the land of tea, cuisine stands out as a unique cultural resource. In the photo: Domestic and international tourists experience the New Rice Festival at the Thai Hai Ethnic Ecological Stilt House Village Conservation Area in Tan Cuong commune. Photo: Ngoc Hai.

A great opportunity to become a "golden touchpoint".

Culinary positioning is the process of creating cultural value, stories, experiences, and local identity. When tourists visit a place, what they remember most is not only the scenery but also the distinctive flavors of the place they visited. The cuisine of Thai Nguyen, the land of tea, is facing a great opportunity to become a "golden touchpoint," contributing to affirming the province's position on the Vietnamese tourism map.

Each region of Vietnam possesses its own unique culinary essence that defines its brand: Hue is known as the cradle of royal cuisine, with its refined and elaborate preparation and presentation. Thanh Hoa is marked by the salty taste of the sea. Nghe An evokes fond memories with its simple and rustic dishes such as eel porridge, Nam Dan soy sauce, and Thanh Chuong fermented bamboo shoots.

Nature is always fair, bestowing upon each region unique specialties. That's why people travel to enjoy the exquisite flavors of different lands. Of course, travel isn't just about eating; it's also about exploring and experiencing a beautiful cultural aspect.

Thai Nguyen province has 150 dishes made with tea and tea leaves as ingredients.

The precious gift that nature has bestowed upon the land of Thai Nguyen is its cuisine, which is closely linked to the natural landscape. The cuisine of the people of Thai Nguyen, the land of tea, is refined, familiar, and purely local in character.

The dishes impress with their blend of mountain and forest flavors and tea culture. As the years pass, generations have passed down the tradition, breathing life into these dishes and giving them a unique existence through the stories told at the banquet table to entertain guests.

Abundant culinary resources

When it comes to Thai Nguyen's culinary heritage, tea is a prime example. Tea is not only a product that provides sustenance, but it also embodies cultural beauty and refined manners in daily life. Taking a sip of tea evokes the feeling of a vast field filled with the aroma of young rice, followed by a subtle astringency and lingering sweetness, creating a sense of regal happiness amidst everyday life.

The humpback rice cake (Bánh Chưng Gù) - the culinary essence of the highlands.

In recent years, tea-based culinary products have been strongly promoted in Thai Nguyen. Examples include handcrafted matcha made from green tea; green tea peanut candy; and mung bean cakes with tea flavor. Tourist gift sets are always linked to tea culture.

It is from here that stories about tea and tea itself are shared, spread, and clearly defined. Tea growers guide visitors with stories through the vast green tea-growing regions. From midland teas and hybrid teas in the low hills to ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees on the mountainside, shrouded in clouds all year round. From tea tasting to experiencing the production and processing process with farmers, the people of Thai Nguyen have instilled in visitors a unique cultural identity of the tea-producing region.

The diversity of the ethnic groups in Thai Nguyen also opens up a rich and unique source of culinary resources. Each dish has its own life, carrying a story about a custom, tradition, and the imprint of the migration and settlement journey of these ethnic communities. It reflects the simple, everyday life and the people's conception of the universe and human existence.

Cooperative societies in the province are organizing live streams to introduce and promote many distinctive regional culinary products.

For example, the "coóc mò" cake of the San Chay ethnic group is a symbol of prosperity. Sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes from Dinh Hoa, mountain sticky rice, free-range chicken, smoked meat, grilled stream fish, and wild vegetables – just hearing about them evokes the entire Viet Bac region, brought back to mind around the dinner table, along with a cup of fragrant herbal rice wine from the Tay, Nung, and Dao ethnic groups. Then there's the sticky rice with green beans and glutinous rice from Ha Chau; fish from Ba Be Lake, and wild banana salad, suggesting a region of lush green mountains and clear blue waters...

Diners are captivated by the dishes skillfully prepared by chefs using natural ingredients. Fish caught from the lake, vegetables harvested from the forest, free-range chicken, and exercise-fed pigs create a pristine, natural flavor, offering a unique appeal found only at the dining tables of Thai Nguyen, the land of tea.

Speaking of cuisine, neighboring provinces like Lang Son have roast duck; Cao Bang has sausage and black jelly; Tuyen Quang has braised pork trotters with au tau porridge; Quang Ninh has squid cake…

People in Thai Nguyen are proud of dishes associated with local names, such as: Bo Dau sticky rice cake, Dai Tu fermented pork sausage, Ha Chau black olives, and Uc Ky sticky rice paste. After the administrative merger, the names of these dishes remain linked to the place names and the people who owned the land.

The culinary delights with the flavors of Thai Nguyen's mountainous region are popular souvenirs that tourists buy to take home for their loved ones.

Experiential tourism and eco-tourism open up great opportunities.

The trend of experiential and eco-tourism opens up great opportunities for Thai Nguyen, the land of tea. Many international tourists have expressed their delight in experiencing tea harvesting and processing alongside farmers, learning fermentation techniques for making soy sauce, cooking sticky rice with wild berries, gathering bamboo shoots in the forest, wading in streams to catch mountain snails, grilling sticky rice in bamboo tubes and fish over charcoal, wrapping crescent-shaped cakes, living in traditional stilt houses, sharing meals with host families, listening to stories of the mountains and forests, and learning to speak the local languages ​​of ethnic minorities.

Through this, tourists can immerse themselves in the material and spiritual life and feel as if they are touching the beauty of the local culture.

At a seminar on developing culinary tourism tours in Thai Nguyen in 2025, experts noted that Thai Nguyen has a favorable location at the gateway to Hanoi, with nearly 1,200 historical and cultural relics, including 3 special national relics; 336 festivals, and 709 intangible cultural heritage items.

Rice cakes wrapped in mugwort leaves are one of the specialties of the Tay ethnic group in the province.

Thai Nguyen has long been an attractive destination, drawing a large number of domestic and international tourists. However, Thai Nguyen lacks a strong brand for its culinary products.

Therefore, Thai Nguyen's tourism industry should adopt a suitable approach to elevate the brand of its cuisine. This can be achieved by creating storytelling spaces, food demonstrations, and culinary preparation areas tailored to each region and destination.

For example, the Thai Hai Stilt House Village Ecotourism Reserve offers a space for ethnic cuisine combined with tea culture; Phu Dinh provides an experience in preparing bamboo-cooked rice and ant egg cakes; and Ba Be Lake boasts freshwater fish products that have become a tourism specialty...

Thai Nguyen is on a journey to become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the country. To achieve this, cuisine must become a cornerstone of its brand and a key factor in its tourism development strategy.

For domestic and international tourists visiting Thai Nguyen, the goal is to bring back stories of their unforgettable experiences with the exquisite local cuisine. And tourists will not forget to buy these as gifts for loved ones, promising to return to Thai Nguyen to learn more about the culinary culture of this tea-producing region.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202511/dinh-vi-am-thuc-du-lich-xu-tra-533543e/