Need to restore the tomb of Tan Cuong tea ancestor

Tomb of Mr. Doi Nam at Binh Dinh 2 Hamlet Cemetery, Binh Son Commune (Song Cong City).

The grave of Mr. Doi Nam is currently located in the cemetery in Binh Dinh 2 hamlet, Binh Son commune. The grave has not been repaired for a long time so it is somewhat old and weeds grow around it.

Mr. Vu Van Thu, grandson of Mr. Doi Nam, shared: When I was a child, my parents told me that after my grandfather successfully developed tea trees in Tan Cuong, he returned to Binh Dinh (Binh Son commune) to continue reclaiming wasteland to develop tea trees and passed away here.

Captain Nam’s real name is Vu Van Hiet, born in 1883 in Bach Nam commune, My Hao district, Hung Yen province. Some documents record that during World War I (1914-1918), Captain Nam was drafted into the army and sent to France to work as a molder for aircraft parts.

When the war ended, he returned home and was given a subsidy and wasteland in the Y Na area, Thinh Dan commune, Dong Hy district (now Thai Nguyen city) to establish a farm. Here, he recruited villagers from his hometown and some delta provinces to reclaim and cultivate the land.

Thanks to the guidance and help of Mr. Nghe So Nguyen Dinh Tuan, who was then the Judge and Governor of Thai Nguyen, Mr. Doi Nam led a group of Y Na people to Doan Hung district, Phu Tho province, to learn and bring midland tea varieties back to grow in Tan Cuong.

Thanks to suitable soil and climate conditions, tea trees grow and produce high-quality, delicious and characteristic tea buds. He opened a tea processing factory and tea selling facility in Thai Nguyen province and sold tea to many provinces across the three regions. The most famous tea product at that time was Canh Hac tea.

In 1926, Tan Cuong commune was established, and he was elected as the first Tien Chi of the commune. In 1935, he brought Tan Cuong tea products to compete at the Hanoi Fair, won first prize and was ordered in large quantities by Indian merchants. During his lifetime, Doi Nam was honored by the people of Tan Cuong tea land as the founder of Tan Cuong tea.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khiem, Binh Dinh 2 hamlet, Binh Son commune, expressed: Currently, the tomb of Mr. Doi Nam has not been properly cared for and restored; it has not been regularly restored and has deteriorated over time.

We think that, in order to recognize the contributions of Mr. Doi Nam, relevant authorities and sectors need to take specific measures to restore Mr. Doi Nam's tomb so that this place becomes a place of cultural and historical significance, worthy of the contributions of the founder of Tan Cuong tea.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202504/can-ton-tao-moong-toche-tan-cuong-5e309cb/