'The ancient tea variety of Tam Dao mountain may be the ancestor of Thai Nguyen tea'

Artisan Mong Dong Vu looks at the leaves and buds of an ancient tea tree on the top of Tam Dao mountain, in La Bang commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province.

Reporter: Dear artisan and tea culture expert Mong Dong Vu, during a recent business trip, scientists and tea experts went to the top of Tam Dao mountain in La Bang commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province and found a group of 18 ancient tea trees estimated to be over 200 years old. I brought here samples of leaves and buds of these ancient tea trees. You are an expert in the tea field, having studied tea for many years, could you please tell us your opinion?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: In my opinion, this is Nam tea, not Shan Tuyet tea. This is a Nam tea variety that Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi clearly recorded: "Nam tea produced in Phu Luong, Dong Hi (now Dong Hy), Dai Tu, Pho Yen districts has a better taste than tea from other places".

When the Nam tea variety was recorded by historians during the Nguyen Dynasty, that is, during the reign of King Tu Duc in 1848, it meant that it had been grown, harvested, and used as a beverage or gift before. To distinguish it from the North tea, that is, Chinese tea, the people called this tea variety Nam tea.

PV: Yes, so is Nam tea a natural tea variety, sir?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: That is probably true. Because this tea tree is naturally produced by nature, by heaven, earth, climate or by the sacredness of Thai Nguyen land. However, I have only now paid attention to the descendants of Nam tea, which is Thai Nguyen tea today, and have not paid attention to its "ancestor".

PV: You said that Nam tea has appeared in Thai Nguyen for a long time. In your opinion, when did Nam tea appear in the land of “The First Famous Tea”?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: Now, we have to count back from the time of King Tu Duc - the time when the Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi was compiled. Because, at that time, historians confirmed that Thai Nguyen had 4 districts with better tea than other places. If we calculate forward, it would take at least 100-200 years for Southern tea to form to differentiate it from Northern tea. Assuming that Southern tea appeared about 150 years before the time of King Tu Duc, plus from then until now, it is at least nearly 400 years old.

Artist Mong Dong Vu was born in 1950 and has devoted almost his entire life to tea.

Reporter: Sir, through your research, you have discovered Nam tea in many areas in Thai Nguyen province. Could you please tell us more about the location where this Nam tea appeared?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: I think the area east of Tam Dao has it everywhere, maybe low down, maybe high up. In the direction of Than Sa, Thuong Nung in Vo Nhai district, Hop Tien in Dong Hy district also has it, but not much. I have been there. People say it has been cut down to make fields. So, the area of ​​Thai Nguyen has a lot of Nam tea.

PV: You said the history of Thai Nguyen tea originated from Southern tea. So, can you discuss more about the history of Thai Nguyen tea?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: Right now we lack documents. We don’t have evidence or documents to prove it. The most important thing is that when we drink delicious Thai Nguyen tea now, we hire people to pick tea from Tam Dao to brew, and we use fresh tea to brew and drink, and we find it similar. Southern tea and Thai Nguyen tea are similar in aroma and taste. So, we can affirm that Thai Nguyen tea today has a deep origin from Southern tea. As for the ancients who used seeds, young tea plants, etc. to propagate, we have no basis to say. History books have affirmed that Thai Nguyen is the capital, has the most tea and its taste is better than other places. This is the clearest evidence of the history of Thai Nguyen tea.

Tea artist and culturalist Mong Dong Vu talks with Thai Nguyen Newspaper reporter.

PV: You are raising the issue of the “ancestor” of Thai Nguyen tea. In your opinion, how should we research to re-determine the history of Thai Nguyen tea?

Artisan Mong Dong Vu: If we talk about history, I think we should divide it into stages. The period from when the French started to build tea plantations in Thai Nguyen to when Mr. Doi Nam Vu Van Hiet competed to win the title of "First Famous Tea" is considered one period. Next, the period of Thai Nguyen tea now is considered another period. As for the higher period, we have to study starting from Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi looking back to the time before the French built tea plantations in Thai Nguyen. And, another period is from Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi looking back to ancient times. By evaluating like that, we will naturally see that the origin of Thai Nguyen tea dates back a long time ago with great significance. I just want to reaffirm once again that Nam tea is natural and is the "ancestor" of tea on the sacred land of Thai Nguyen.

PV: Thank you!

Tea artist and culturalist Mong Dong Vu, former Director of the Thai Nguyen Province Culture and Arts Center, is a person who has devoted almost his entire life to tea. He was born in 1950. Since his youth, he has traveled to many places around the world and throughout Vietnam to research tea and tea plants. He also set a Vietnamese record for “the person who collects the most teapots”…

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202504/giong-che-co-nui-tam-dao-co-the-la-to-cua-che-thai-nguyen-446141f/