Raising the level of Son Duong tea trees

People of Vinh Tan tea village, Tan Trao commune (Son Duong) harvest tea.

Prosperous life thanks to tea trees

Son Duong district is famous for its tea production and processing villages, such as: Vinh Tan tea village (Tan Trao), Dong Hoan tea village (Tu Thinh), Lien Phuong tea village (Phuc Ung), Yen Thuong tea village (Trung Yen), Dong Dai tea village (Hop Thanh), Cay tea village (Minh Thanh). These villages are operating quite effectively, gradually increasing the value of tea trees.

Vinh Tan tea village, Tan Trao commune (Son Duong) is the first recognized tea production and processing village in the province. The village has 180.2 hectares with 110 households growing and processing tea. After nearly 10 years of establishment and development, the village is now operating stably, generating high income. With the advantage of soil and climate, people have many years of experience in production, quickly accessing science and technology in growing and processing tea, so the products are increasingly affirming their brand. The village's tea products won the bronze cup at the Thai Nguyen Tea Festival in 2015, in 2019, Vinh Tan tea was certified as 3-star OCOP. From building the brand of the village, up to now, tea products of Vinh Tan tea village have always maintained a price of 150,000 - 230,000 VND/kg depending on the type of tea, with an average income of more than 45 million VND/person/year.

Mr. Pham Van Dang, a resident of Vinh Tan village, said that his family has replaced the old tea varieties with PH9 and LCT1 tea varieties, which are representative of new varieties with high productivity and good quality. From growing tea, his family has a comfortable life, earning more than 100 million VND each year. With 1 hectare of tea, during the peak tea season, the family can produce 400 kg of dry tea each month. After selling, after deducting expenses, the family earns a profit of about 20 million VND/month.

Tea is one of the main crops of Son Duong district, with an area of ​​over 1,800 hectares, creating jobs and stable income for a large number of workers.

In addition to the province's policy mechanisms on agricultural production development, such as: Resolution No. 03 of the Provincial People's Council on policies to support the development of agricultural, forestry and fishery production; OCOP products and new rural construction; Resolution on the development of specialty plants and animals... The district also allocates resources to invest in the development of traditional craft villages, such as: Transferring scientific and technical advances; supporting trade promotion, product promotion... With the attention of the province and the initiative of the district, tea craft villages in Son Duong are preserved and developed.

Double benefits from developing craft villages associated with tourism

Currently, Tuyen Quang province has 8 recognized craft villages, all of which are tea villages of Son Duong district. In addition to tea production, Son Duong people grow tea in concentrated areas, the tea hills are trimmed to create eye-catching shapes, and the tea is cared for according to clean processes. Coming to the craft village, in addition to visiting the tea hills, visitors can also experience tea picking, tea roasting, and enjoy hot cups of tea... completely free of charge. Tourists can experience making tea and buy and give away tea products, which is a good channel to introduce products. Son Duong people are enjoying double benefits from developing craft villages associated with tourism.

Ms. Dang Trung Anh, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City shared that this was her first time visiting Son Duong. She was very impressed with the stilt houses and the overnight stay at Hoang Lau homestay service, Tan Lap village, which is very close to nature, protects the environment, and meets the needs of green living. Coming here, she experienced and explored agricultural production activities and daily cultural activities of farmers, such as: milling rice, pounding rice, plowing fields, picking tea, then personally preparing bamboo rice, five-color sticky rice, making tea, and enjoying the products she harvested, which was very impressive and interesting.

Tourists enjoy experiencing tea picking activities.

Son Duong has determined to build agricultural and rural tourism models according to groups: Community tourism, agricultural tourism, eco-tourism, craft village tourism, etc.; prioritizing models associated with preserving and promoting cultural values ​​and protecting the environment; using local materials and labor; mobilizing the participation of women, the poor, ethnic minorities, and disadvantaged people to improve people's lives and incomes, etc.; exploiting garden houses, farms, eco-zones, and high-tech zones to develop into experiential tourism destinations connected with tourist destinations in Tuyen Quang province.

Ms. Ha Thi Hong Lien, Head of the Culture Department of Son Duong district, said that the district will continue to effectively exploit the advantages of local tourism resources, strengthen the implementation of communication activities and promote tourism associated with tea trees, in order to enhance the value of Son Duong tea trees. Thereby, contributing to diversifying tourism products as well as creating livelihoods, supporting people to develop the economy, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

In 3 years, from 2021-2023, Son Duong district attracted about 2,463,200 visitors, social revenue from tourism reached over 2,517 billion VND.

Son Duong (Tuyen Quang): Cultural preservation associated with tourism development