Where clouds and mountains meet

Exploiting the pristine and poetic beauty of nature on the eastern slopes of the Tam Dao mountain range to develop tourism; changing production mindsets towards green, safe agriculture; and gradually enhancing the value of local crops – this is how the May Suon Dong Cooperative (in Hoang Nong commune, Dai Tu district) has been implementing its goals. Beyond simply pursuing profit, the cooperative's production and business activities tell a long story of the efforts of young people wanting to contribute to their homeland.

Báo Thái Nguyên•26/06/2025

I first learned about the May Suon Dong Cooperative through the keyword "Homestay May Suon Dong" on social media. The name is simple, distinctly mountainous, yet incredibly attractive and appealing. And when I found my way to the homestay, I realized that the name truly reflected what it was all about.

The natural scenery is as beautiful as a watercolor painting. The smooth asphalt road connecting the district center to Hoang Nong commune winds around lush green tea plantations. The closer we get to the commune, the more clearly the majestic Tam Dao mountain range appears, surrounded by fluffy white clouds that cling to the mountains.

Ms. Bui Thi Mai (born in 1990), the owner of the homestay and also the Director of the May Suon Dong Cooperative, welcomed us with open and enthusiastic sharing, starting with the reason why this homestay was established. It was at the end of 2019, while harvesting tea in the fields, that Ms. Mai accidentally encountered a group of American tourists who had gotten lost while trying to find their way to a homestay in the commune.

After a brief conversation, she decided to lead the group to the correct address. The chance encounter with the petite but quick-witted and kind-hearted local girl left a lasting impression on the strangers, leading them to return to her family the next day and ask to stay.

Ms. Mai and her family members happily welcomed the group of guests like long-lost friends. Meanwhile, the newly arrived guests had unforgettable experiences immersing themselves in nature, listening to the babbling streams from deep within the mountains, picking tender green tea buds in the early morning mist, and enjoying rustic dishes with the rich flavors of the mountains and forests…

Surprisingly, after returning home, these guests shared their experiences with friends and family. As a result, Mai's small house attracted more visitors from afar. Gradually, Mai came up with the idea of building a homestay to have a more spacious place to accommodate guests who wanted to experience the local culture and stay overnight.

On her family's vast tea plantation, Ms. Mai leveled a portion of the land to create a homestay, building stilt houses to provide accommodation for guests. Ms. Mai shared: "The materials used to build and decorate the homestay are all environmentally friendly, such as bamboo, palm leaves, and stream stones... In addition, I prioritize planting many flowers and green plants to add color to the homestay without disrupting the surrounding natural landscape."

Guests who have stayed here have given very positive feedback and are satisfied with their experiences at the homestay. Currently, we can accommodate around 50 guests per day. Of our guests, 70-80% are foreigners, mainly from Europe and America.

Not only attracting foreign visitors, Bui Thi Mai's homestay is also a destination for tea lovers and enthusiasts. The spacious tea-drinking area is located right by the stream, next to lush green tea plantations and a production facility that has a complete, closed-loop process to produce fresh, delicious, and safe tea products for consumers.

Ms. Mai's tea products come in many varieties and price ranges, with the lowest price being 600,000 VND/kg and the highest price exceeding 20 million VND per product.

Seeing our surprise, Ms. Mai shared: "In Hoang Nong in particular and Thai Nguyen province in general, it's not difficult to find mass-produced tea products, and many names have already made their mark on the market. Therefore, a small, new unit like ours would find it very difficult to compete if we did the same. That's why we chose our own unique and sustainable path. Most of the products the cooperative brings to the market are made to order and according to the specific requirements of our customers. We confidently provide complete information and testing results to prove the safety of our products."

Few people know that to achieve the confidence she has today, Ms. Mai had to sacrifice a lot of time, effort, and money. She recounted: "Before producing safe tea, I had a fairly stable income from selling tea online. At one point, I sold more than 1.7 tons of dried tea leaves a day. When my family's tea production wasn't enough, I connected with local people to buy it, then packaged it and supplied it to the market."

While my business was booming, one day I had a nagging worry. The volume of tea being sold was too large, and I couldn't control the quality. I also didn't know what flavorings or additives were in the tea, what the dosages were, or whether they would affect consumers' health... And so I decided to stop! - Ms. Mai shared.

Mai's sudden decision worried and disapproved of her family members. However, with her decisive nature, she was determined to start from scratch. She invested time and money traveling to many places to learn how to make tea in the safest and most natural way.

During the first two years of the experiment, the tea plantations were fertilized with organic fertilizers, treated with biological products, and weeded by hired workers… with significant investment costs, but yielded almost no harvest. The products were not well-received, and were even returned; many batches of tea and matcha had to be discarded because there was no market for them.

However, she didn't give up. She persevered in her research and learning, inviting experts to survey the area to find the most suitable methods for the climate and soil of her hometown. And then, the land rewarded her efforts. The tea plantations, after a long period of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that had hardened the soil, are now reviving day by day, gradually increasing yield and improving quality, proving that her approach was the right one.

In addition to her family's tea plantation and that of the 7 cooperative members, Ms. Mai has also partnered with more than a dozen households in the area to expand the safe tea raw material area. She guides the farmers in cultivating according to proper procedures and commits to achieving 85-90% of the yield compared to conventional methods, but with higher product value and a long-term guarantee for the purchase of all quality products.

Currently, the cooperative's tea plantation has expanded to nearly 20 hectares, yielding over 20 tons of fresh tea per harvest. May Suon Dong's tea products are available in many provinces and cities across the country and have even traveled with tourists to Western countries.

“My dream is to have a sufficiently large tea-growing area, applying organic farming methods and achieving international recognition, so that the tea products from my hometown can confidently enter the world with proven quality. Currently, I am planning to renovate and expand the homestay to offer new and more interesting experiences for tourists…” - added Ms. Bui Thi Mai.