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| Thai Nguyen is known as the "Land of the Finest Tea," a place where tea products with distinctive rice-like aromas, mild astringency, and a lingering sweet aftertaste converge. Photo: TL |
Unleashing the potential of the "First-class Tea Region"
The midland and mountainous region of Thai Nguyen is known as Vietnam's "finest tea region," the cradle of green tea buds with a distinctive aroma reminiscent of roasted rice, a mild astringency, and a deep, sweet aftertaste. With nearly 24,000 hectares of tea plantations, leading the country in both production volume and value, Thai Nguyen plays a key role as a raw material region, as well as a center for processing, creating, and disseminating Vietnamese tea culture.
Hundreds of tea products meeting OCOP 3-5 star standards have been introduced to Europe, North America, and many Asian countries, gradually affirming Thai Nguyen tea's position on the world tea map.
Commenting on the position and value of the Thai Nguyen tea industry, Mr. Trinh Quang Dung, a researcher of Vietnamese tea culture, said: Thai Nguyen plays a leading role in terms of area, production volume, and brand value.
Traditional values, sophisticated processing techniques, and innovation in product development have laid the foundation for Thai Nguyen tea to build a sustainable image in the international market. The export of many 3-5 star OCOP products shows that Thai Nguyen tea has transcended the realm of purely raw materials, becoming a bridge to promote Vietnamese culture.
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| Thai Nguyen tea is widely known to international friends not only as a distinctive beverage but also as a symbol of rich and long-standing traditional culture. |
The global tea market continues its growth momentum, with consumer trends shifting strongly towards high-quality teas, organic teas, and products associated with health and cultural values. Capitalizing on this trend, Thai Nguyen tea leverages its favorable climate, soil conditions, and long-standing cultivation experience, while simultaneously applying VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and organic standards to improve quality, diversify products, and expand export markets.
Standardizing processes from planting, caring for, harvesting to processing and preserving gradually creates a closed value chain, ensuring product consistency and enhancing competitiveness in the context of deep integration.
Nguyen Thi Hai, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of La Bang Tea Cooperative, whose products served the APEC Summit, said: "Building a brand and ensuring production safety are always our top priorities. We focus on quality control and meeting OCOP and VietGAP standards to strengthen the trust of domestic and international consumers."
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| A seminar on elevating tea products and tea culture is one of the key activities at the "Thai Nguyen - Fragrance and Beauty of Famous Teas" Festival in 2025. Photo: Provided. |
The province currently has nearly 24,000 hectares of tea plantations, with an annual production of over 280,000 tons. This is an important foundation for Thai Nguyen to maintain its position as a key tea growing region, develop high-quality tea varieties, and enhance its brand image in domestic and international markets. The province plans to expand the area to 24,500 hectares by 2030 to meet the requirements of sustainable production and increase export value.
Despite its achievements, the tea industry still faces many challenges. Production remains fragmented, deep processing technology and packaging lack standardization, and value chain linkages are not yet strong. Competitive pressure from international brands necessitates improved brand building capabilities, traceability, and professional promotion of tea culture.
Efforts towards the "billion-dollar" goal
At the "Fragrance and Beauty of Famous Teas" seminar within the framework of the "Thai Nguyen - Fragrance and Beauty of Famous Teas" Festival at the end of December 2025, Comrade Nguyen Dang Binh, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, emphasized: The development orientation of the tea industry is towards enhancing value and building sustainable brands. The province recognizes that tea continues to play an important role in the development of agricultural economy and is a product with the potential to reach the global market.
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| The province currently has nearly 24,000 hectares of tea plantations, with an annual production of over 280,000 tons. This is an important foundation for Thai Nguyen to maintain its position as a key tea growing region, develop high-quality tea varieties, and enhance its brand image in both domestic and international markets. Photo: Provided |
According to the plan for 2030, the tea industry aims to achieve a value of 1 billion USD through promoting digital transformation, protecting geographical indications, developing deep-processed products, and linking tea with experiential and cultural tourism. This is considered a period of strong transformation in production thinking and market organization.
The formation of concentrated production areas linked to key enterprises and the development of an innovative startup ecosystem in the tea sector are also identified as important solutions to increase the value content of each product.
The Provincial People's Council has issued many mechanisms and policies to support tea cultivation, focusing on brand building, developing OCOP products, investing in production equipment, upgrading transportation infrastructure, and implementing traceability.
Many initiatives receive full funding for their initial implementation, including organic certification, VietGAP, GlobalGAP, issuance of planting area codes, and support for new or replacement crop varieties. The specific level of support facilitates farmers and cooperatives in enhancing their production capacity, improving quality, and expanding their markets.
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| Tea processing using traditional methods. Photo: Provided. |
Local authorities are actively implementing the policy through practical solutions. Duc Luong commune currently has about 6,700 hectares of tea plantations, with over 80% of the area planted with new varieties, yielding approximately 6,800 tons per year. Three cooperatives operating in the area are gradually forming a concentrated production zone, with about 20% of the area meeting VietGAP standards.
Mr. Trieu Ho Quang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc Luong commune, informed: The locality continues to promote linkages between cooperatives and households, invest in deep processing, enhance product value, and expand the market for local tea products.
Associations and organizations also actively participate in the development of the tea industry. The Provincial Women's Union integrates the recognition of exemplary individuals with the promotion of tea culture, organizing an exchange program on the art of tea appreciation with nearly 400 members, and displaying OCOP products managed by women. This activity contributes to honoring the role of women in economic development and spreading local cultural identity.
The Provincial Farmers' Association is stepping up the assessment and granting of the right to use the collective trademark "Thai Nguyen Tea". From the beginning of 2025 to the present, 8 cooperatives in various localities have been granted the right to use the trademark.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Diep, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, the management and use of collective trademarks contributes to protecting the reputation and enhancing the value of products, creating motivation for cooperatives to maintain quality and expand export markets. Through this, Thai Nguyen tea is gradually affirming its position as a key agricultural product associated with cultural and economic values, aiming for sustainable development and deep integration.
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202602/nang-tam-gia-tri-san-pham-che-1b209d5/
