The journey to 'reawaken' the renowned tea

From an agricultural product that experienced many ups and downs, Thai Nguyen tea has risen strongly, asserting its position on the world tea map. This journey is the result of the synergy of tradition, science, the responsibility of generations of provincial leaders, and the legitimate aspirations of Thai Nguyen tea farmers to prosper.

The La Bang tea region boasts endless stretches of lush green tea hills. Photo: Provided

Memorable turning points

Since ancient times, tea has been closely intertwined with human life, becoming an integral part of culture, daily activities, and communication. However, for Thai Nguyen tea to truly "awaken" and enter the larger market, the series of Tea Festivals held in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 played a crucial role. These events celebrated the value of Vietnamese tea while creating a significant turning point, spreading the Thai Nguyen tea brand widely both domestically and internationally.

Through various Festivals, a series of impressive records have been set, such as: "The most well-known and prestigious tea brand," "Among the top valuable specialty gift products of Asia," "The largest teapot in Vietnam," "The most well-known tea product," etc. These records and titles have contributed to firmly establishing Thai Nguyen tea as a strong brand and clearly positioning Thai Nguyen tea on the global tea map.

On the journey to reviving the "Finest Tea," there was another important milestone: In September 2017, the Tan Cang Geographical Indication was officially protected in the European Union. This was a major step forward in the process of international integration, helping to protect and enhance the value of Thai Nguyen's tea products in the global market. Along with this, the tea growing area management system in the province has been strengthened, with 132 area codes linked to GPS, ensuring clear traceability.

Thai Nguyen province has nearly 25,000 hectares of tea plantations, of which more than 23,000 hectares are currently producing tea.

Furthermore, the collective trademark "Thai Nguyen Tea" has been protected in many countries and territories, such as the United States, China, Russia, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Notably, since 2023, the "Folk Knowledge of Growing and Processing Tan Cuong Tea" has been included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism – renowned for its unique traditional techniques from soil selection and cultivation to harvesting and processing.

Thai Nguyen tea is not only a crop with high economic value, but it also carries the profound cultural and spiritual significance of the region. Over time, tea-growing areas have expanded from low hillsides to high mountain slopes perpetually shrouded in clouds. In recent years, scientists have discovered numerous clusters of ancient tea trees, hundreds of years old, on the eastern slopes of the Tam Dao mountain range. This is considered a golden key that opens new doors for scientists to study Vietnamese tea.

Currently, the province has nearly 25,000 hectares of tea plantations, of which more than 23,000 hectares are in production, with an average yield of nearly 180 quintals of fresh tea leaves per hectare. In 2025 alone, farmers in the province's tea-growing regions planted and replanted 336 hectares of tea, mainly hybrid and midland tea varieties. These teas are grown in famous tea-growing regions that have become ingrained in the minds of tea connoisseurs nationwide, such as Tan Cuong, La Bang, Dong Hy, and Vo Tranh…

On December 8, 2025, Thai Nguyen province officially gained another tea-growing region with a prestigious tea specialty recognized by the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Nature and Environment. This is the cluster of 12 ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees in Dong Phuc commune, which have been officially recognized as Vietnamese Heritage Trees by the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Nature and Environment. It can be said that from now on, Thai Nguyen province has one of the "Five Great Famous Teas".

Quality builds the brand.

Over a hundred years ago, Mr. Vu Hiet and the farmers of Tan Cuong tea region built the brand "Thai Nguyen's finest tea." Thai Nguyen tea is renowned, but due to the social conditions of the time, the farmers' tea products were unregulated, prices were low, and the lives of tea-growing people were difficult. Then, the market economy opened up, giving tea farmers many opportunities to escape poverty and become wealthy. But to truly spread the fragrance of Thai Nguyen tea far and wide, the Tan Huong Tea Cooperative in Dai Phuc commune deserves special mention. By prioritizing quality and respecting consumers, in 2011, the cooperative's tea products were certified by Solidaridad and Unilever as meeting the international UTZ Certified standard.

To date, Thai Nguyen province has more than 200 processed tea products that have achieved OCOP ratings from 3 to 5 stars.

UTZ Certified certification has made Tan Huong tea the first Vietnamese tea product to meet the requirements for integration and circulation in the international market. Currently, the province has over 6,400 hectares of tea meeting VietGAP standards, nearly 200 hectares of organic tea, and more than 200 processed tea products achieving OCOP (One Commune One Product) ratings from 3 to 5 stars. In 2025 alone, Thai Nguyen province aims to have three more tea products recognized as achieving national-level OCOP 5-star ratings. These include two products from Huong Van Tea Cooperative, Group 51, Phan Dinh Phung Ward: “Ngoc Xuan Huong Van Tea” and “Tam Phuc Huong Van Tea”. The La Bang Tea Cooperative, Rung Van Hamlet, La Bang Commune, will have one product: “Thanh Hai Tea - Premium Young Shrimp Tea”.

All efforts to enhance the value of tea by all levels, sectors, and farmers in Thai Nguyen province have focused on improving product quality. Therefore, on its "journey" to build a brand for its tea, Thai Nguyen province has had many products win international awards of global significance. For example, the "Shrimp Bud" tea product of Ha Thai Tea Company, 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, Tan Cuong commune, participated in the North American International Specialty Tea Competition in 2017 and won the Special Prize; and the "Minh Tam Tea" shrimp bud tea product of Tuyet Huong Cooperative, Na Long hamlet, Dong Hy commune, was selected by the APEC Vietnam Conference Organizing Committee in November 2017 as a gift for heads of state and representatives from 21 member economies.

Improved tea quality has given Thai Nguyen tea a strong brand and higher product prices. Average revenue from tea production ranges from 420 to 550 million VND/hectare/year. For specialty tea growing areas, this figure reaches 1.5 to over 2 billion VND/hectare/year. The province's target of achieving a total tea value of 25,000 billion VND (equivalent to 1 billion USD) by 2030 will no longer be an unattainable goal.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202605/hanh-trinh-thuc-day-danh-tra-458521d/