I have known about the vast and famous Tan Cuong tea region for a long time but did not know where to start exploring . Luckily, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Son, Editor-in-Chief of Thai Nguyen Newspaper, showed me the way.
We started by learning about a famstay, a new way of making tea that combines production with eco-tourism in Thai Nguyen .
Sea of tea
You can hardly visit all the vast tea areas located right in Thai Nguyen City. In recent years, the tea areas have developed production models associated with tourism, production associated with promoting and introducing tea culture. This is a new feature.
Tien Yen farmstay is located in Hong Thai 2 hamlet, Tan Cuong commune. It is called a hamlet but in this midland area, the population is sparse, interspersed with gently sloping tea hills, tea hills reaching up to the top of the hill, and green tea valleys.
When we arrived, there were already several groups of students on a field trip. They were assigned by the school to produce clips about the tea region. Looking at the young generation enthusiastically learning about tea plants, filming videos, and taking photos, we understood that tea has entered the blood of the people of Tan Cuong and Thai Nguyen.
The family of Mr. Bui Trong Dai, owner of Tien Yen farmstay with an area of over 3 hectares, has been growing tea for several generations. The current tea hill dates back to 1971, from wild hills. The first generation of tea trees planted by Mr. Dai's father are still present and still generate income. Looking at the low tea trees, few people would think that they have existed for more than half a century, since the time when the country was not yet unified because the tea trees were cut low to produce more shoots and buds.
Dai’s facility has many types of tea. Here, making clean tea has become a voluntary act. This voluntary act is for sustainable development, for the long-term benefit of tea growers, not just to protect consumer rights. Therefore, we were very comfortable sitting and enjoying tea with green tea peanut candy in a small hut. In the tea area, there are many sightseeing huts along the walking paths.
Many values around a cup of tea
The production value of Tan Cuong tea region is very large, up to nearly 1 billion VND/ha. The output here is up to over 23,000 tons of fresh tea buds/year, the tea region is in the top 10 in the world in terms of output. But the value does not stop there, it continues to be raised by the resonance of values from different "layers".
The knowledge of growing and processing Tan Cuong tea has become a national cultural heritage. This is the foundation for tourism development. Tien Yen farmstay has high-class rooms that meet the standards to welcome European and North American guests. These rooms all have a beautiful view of the tea hills.
Visitors coming here can not only enjoy tea and dishes made from tea such as fish stewed with green tea, peanut candy with green tea, etc. but also enjoy the performances from tea parties, listen to stories about tea trees, how to grow and care for tea, and local culture. Visitors can see firsthand the clean tea production line, pick tea, roast tea, eat with the locals, cycle along the hillsides, around the village, etc.
The important thing is to live in the midland space with green tea hills, fresh climate and friendly people. Tourists can live with local people to experience the regional culture. This model has been quite developed in Tan Cuong. This way of doing tourism is not only based on tea culture but has been raised to a new level, bringing Thai Nguyen tea trees into the cultural and spiritual life of people in all regions of the world.
I suddenly understood that tea drinking is an elegant pleasure, a popular activity, a cultural feature and it has the opportunity to create momentum for tourism development, especially when it exists in a famous tea region like Tan Cuong. There are many tea cultural spaces here to please tourists.
Tien Yen farmstay, like many tea hills in Tan Cuong, has registered its brand and then done community tourism. I did not ask Mr. Dai about his income, but when doing tourism in the tea area, selling tea with clean brands, selling to tourists, the income will certainly be higher than the average.
I will be back
With the advantage of the highway, Tan Cuong tea hills are no longer far from Hanoi or Hai Duong. You can have breakfast in Hai Duong and enjoy tea in Tan Cuong around 9am on the same day. Driving from Hanoi on the highway is much faster.
With that travel time, the teapots of tea lovers waiting for each other have not yet had time to cool down. Tea has many uses. The cups of tea are even more interesting when served by the hands of the singers…
With farmstays like Mr. Dai's, family trips and picnics are very suitable. A relaxing space next to the tea hills, with cups of tea, with relatives will give us more energy to live.
From the observation of a tea producer who has stepped into tourism, Mr. Dai said that the difference is when guests drink tea while listening to stories, the initial cup of tea may be normal but then the guests do not leave a single drop. That is, the stories have multiplied the value of the cup of tea. The stories make visitors feel that it is worth coming to the tea region, not just for a cup of tea...
I have an appointment with journalist Nguyen Ngoc Son to return to participate in the tea festival. I will definitely return to Tan Cuong to learn more interesting things, stories about tea trees, and enjoy tea here.
The characteristic of Tan Cuong tea (Thai Nguyen) is the aroma of young rice, rich taste, bitter taste when drunk, then the sweetness lingers in the throat. The tea here is more valuable because it is picked early, when the nutrients are still abundant on the tree.
There is also fermented tea with a cool taste for those who are not used to drinking tea and get upset stomach because of the astringent taste.
Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/thuong-tra-tan-cuong-thai-nguyen-o-farmstay-410647.html
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