The scent of tea in the lesson of homeland

Amidst the lush green tea hills bathed in sunlight, the students' footsteps bustle along the winding paths. They eagerly anticipate picking tender tea buds, attentively observing each step of the traditional tea-making process, and experiencing the taste of their homeland's tea in a truly intimate way. In Thai Nguyen, tea has long been intertwined with the lives of the people and is becoming an integral part of educating the younger generation about love for their homeland. Through experiential activities, students learn about tea from the vibrant realities of tea-growing regions, through the stories of tea makers, and through the very natural emotions of their school years...

Preschool students visit and experience the tea growing area of ​​Thinh An Tea Cooperative (Dong Hy commune).

Lessons learned in the tea-growing region.

One morning at the Thinh An Tea Cooperative (Dong Hy commune), elementary school students eagerly followed tea makers to the hills, carefully learning how to pick each tender tea bud. They excitedly asked each other how to select "one bud and two leaves," intently observed the tea artisans processing the tea, and were delighted to brew tea themselves for the first time. Through these hands-on activities, the students gradually appreciated the meticulousness and skill involved in tea making, while also learning more about the famous tea-growing regions of Thai Nguyen . Lessons about their homeland thus became more relatable and engaging.

Ma Moc Nhien, a student at Dong Bam Primary School (Linh Son Ward), still vividly remembers the excitement of visiting a tea plantation for the first time and watching the artisans roast, dry, and package the tea leaves. Previously, her image of tea plants was limited to green tea hills seen from afar or the familiar cup of tea her grandfather and father drank every morning. Only after personally picking tea leaves, listening to explanations of each processing step, and observing the tea makers working on the red-hot rotating teapots, did she truly understand the meticulousness and hard work behind each cup of tea. What impressed the young student most was the aroma of freshly roasted tea and the meticulousness of the tea makers. “After the experience, I told my parents many interesting things about tea plants and felt even more love for the tea-making profession in my hometown,” Nhien excitedly shared.

In recent years, many schools in Thai Nguyen province have regularly organized trips for students to tea-growing regions, cooperatives, and tea-cultural spaces as part of their experiential education activities. No longer confined to the classroom, lessons about their homeland are expanded amidst the tea hills, through the stories of artisans, the sounds of tea-rolling machines, and even in the subtly astringent taste of the first cup of tea the students sip.

In programs such as "Becoming a Little Friend of the Tea Region" at Pho Co Primary School (Song Cong Ward), and "Exploring Tea Culture," students participate in almost the entire process of traditional tea production, from harvesting, rolling, drying, to brewing and enjoying tea. Some schools even organize activities for students to design videos , create media products, and write reflections after their experiences. These activities help tea culture transcend the confines of a traditional concept, making it more accessible and vibrant for the younger generation.

What's valuable is that from these direct experiences, students begin to understand their homeland more deeply. Hoang Thi Thu Huong, a student from Tuc Tranh High School (Vo Tranh commune), shared: “My family also makes tea, and I've been going to the tea plantations with my parents since I was little. Through this experience, I learned that Thai Nguyen has many famous tea-growing regions, especially the ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees in Bang Phuc commune (Dong Phuc district), and I feel more clearly the cultural value of the tea from my hometown.” Many students proactively sought to learn more about different types of tea, processing methods, and ways to promote Thai Nguyen tea products. “After the class trip to the Tan Cuong tea region, our group wrote a report introducing tea products, researching the characteristics and value of each type so that everyone can have more information for reference,” shared Vu Linh Chi, a student from Gang Thep High School.

There are things that, if learned only through books, are perhaps difficult to fully appreciate. But when standing amidst the tea hills still covered in morning mist, listening to tea makers tell stories about preserving their craft, watching their calloused fingers nimbly stirring tea leaves in a hot pan as they reenact the traditional processing method, the lessons about one's homeland suddenly become much closer and more deeply ingrained.

It is no coincidence that the province is increasingly paying attention to integrating tea culture into schools. During a meeting with the Department of Education and Training (November 2024), the provincial People's Committee leaders requested that tea culture be instilled in the minds of Thai Nguyen students, bringing the symbol of the tea plant and the love of tea to them through local education. This will help students develop a greater love for their homeland's tea plants, generate new initiatives and methods to enhance the value of tea, and contribute to the province's socio-economic development in the future.

Spreading the aroma of tea through a youthful perspective.

While tea was once a familiar part of the daily lives of older generations, tea culture is now gradually reaching younger generations through new experiences and more creative approaches. After field trips, many students used their phones to film videos of their hometown tea-growing regions, creating clips introducing Thai Nguyen tea and sharing them on social media in a youthful and relatable style. Some designed posters, others created animations, and some groups even used artificial intelligence to tell the story of tea in their own unique way.

Students from Gang Thép High School have an experiential learning experience in the Tân Cương tea-growing region.

The video "Thai Nguyen's finest tea - the essence of Vietnamese soul" by two female students, Vu Thi Kim Chung and Chu Ha Linh, from Song Cong High School, at the AImazing 2025 competition, shows how young people bring technology closer to their hometown's tea culture through a creative and modern perspective. Images of tea hills, tea artisans, and cups of Thai Nguyen tea are vividly recreated through digital language while still retaining the rustic and familiar charm of traditional tea culture. A representative of the group shared: "We want to spread our love for Thai Nguyen tea by presenting it in a youthful way, suitable for the current trends among young people, so that more people understand that tea is not only a specialty but also a beautiful cultural aspect of our homeland."

Through experiential activities and digital content creation, the tea of ​​their homeland is becoming more accessible to students in a natural and engaging way. Many teachers believe this is an effective approach to local cultural education, helping students better understand the tea-making profession, the values ​​preserved through generations, and fostering pride in their homeland. From field trips, tea gradually becomes a medium for students to explore the history, culture, labor, and identity of Thai Nguyen tea region through intimate and authentic experiences. As a result, lessons become more accessible, memorable, and emotionally rich for students.

Thai Nguyen province has identified tea as its key economic crop, while also recognizing it as a cultural value that needs to be preserved and disseminated. Development orientations for the tea industry, linked to experiential tourism, digital transformation, and community education, demonstrate the province's gradual efforts to build a sustainable tea-cultural ecosystem. In this journey, bringing students closer to the tea plant holds significant meaning. This is both a practical experiential activity and a way to instill love for their homeland through familiar and simple things. By understanding why people cherish each tea bud and why Thai Nguyen tea is so well-known, students will gradually develop an awareness of preserving the values ​​of their homeland.

Experiential activities in the tea-growing region help children better understand and appreciate Thai Nguyen's tea culture through simple, familiar things.

Many tea artisans and cooperatives are now proactively opening their doors to students for hands-on experiences. Artisan Nguyen Thi Hai, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the La Bang Tea Cooperative, shared: "What I hope most is that young people will better understand the value of our homeland's tea plants and develop a greater love for the local traditional craft. Through these practical experiences, the children learn how to make tea, and at the same time feel the patience, meticulousness, and love for the craft that tea growers put into each step. When students understand and are proud of Thai Nguyen tea, the values ​​of the tea region will have more opportunities to be preserved and continued for a long time."

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of these experiences lies not in how much knowledge the students retain about tea, but in the lingering emotions associated with the aroma of their homeland's tea. It's the delight of picking tender tea buds for the first time, the wonder at the meticulousness of the tea-making process, and the natural pride in knowing that their homeland possesses a product deeply rooted in cultural identity. These experiences will stay with them as a part of their school memories, so that in the future, whether they continue to work with tea or travel to other lands, the aroma of Thai Nguyen tea will remain a reminder of their homeland and inspire them to continue preserving and spreading the value of "the finest tea" in their own way.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-nghe-thai-nguyen/chuyen-muc-khac/202605/huong-tra-trong-bai-hoc-que-huong-4ea59fb/