In the early 2000s, the first Shan Tuyet tea trees were planted in Huoi Tu commune, the remote Ky Son district. Suitable for the soil and weather here, the tea grows well, has large buds, and gives high yields. Realizing that this is an effective crop, helping ethnic minorities to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, the local government has encouraged people to grow Shan Tuyet tea instead of growing traditional agricultural crops with low economic efficiency such as corn and rice.
Shan Tuyet tea is delicious, has a refreshing taste and sweet aftertaste, and is often grown in high mountainous areas where the temperature difference between day and night is quite large. The most noticeable feature of Shan Tuyet tea is the snow-white color of the tea fibers, the white tea buds are created by tiny hairs that stick thickly around the buds. To withstand the harshness of nature, fresh tea buds while still on the tree are covered with this silvery white hair.
Up to now, after nearly 20 years, Shan Tuyet tea trees have affirmed their advantage of growing well on high mountain land from 1,200 - 1,500m above sea level in the Vietnam - Laos border area. Mr. Nguyen Ba Cuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district, said: Seeing the benefits of Shan Tuyet tea trees, Ky Son district has directed the expansion of tea planting scale, to bring the Ky Son Shan Tuyet tea brand to a new level, bringing high income value to the people. Up to now, the tea area in the district is more than 600 hectares, of which 350 hectares have been exploited, the average yield is 4 tons/ha, the average annual output is 1,400 tons, Shan Tuyet tea trees are over 20 years old.
“The sub-climate regions of Huoi Tu, Na Ngoi, Nam Can, and Muong Long communes are very suitable for Shan Tuyet tea trees, which is a decisive condition for the quality of tea. People are beginning to realize the value and economic benefits of Shan Tuyet tea trees; in the area, there have been investment projects and specialized areas have begun to be formed to expand the growing area, improve the quality and economic efficiency of Shan Tuyet tea trees - Mr. Cuong added: Because the growing area has climate and weather conditions suitable for Shan Tuyet tea trees, which are limited (due to the clear sub-climate zoning), the district has determined to only develop the area in suitable terrain areas, ensuring the quality of tea products”.
Shan Tuyet tea is also one of the key crops that Ky Son district has included in the list of continued expansion of planting area, in the direction of commodity production associated with processing and consumption of products according to OCOP standards. In the immediate future, this year, an additional 30-50 hectares of new planting will be developed in Na Ngoi commune. In 2022, two products of Ky Son Shan Tuyet Tea and Shan Tuyet Tea of the agricultural cooperative, organic tea production of Huoi Tu commune will be recognized as 3-star OCOP products. According to Ms. Dang Thi Hoa - Director of the Cooperative, due to the good climate and soil quality, Huoi Tu Shan Tuyet tea trees almost do not need to be fertilized or cared for, are "clean tea", harvested entirely by hand; therefore, the quality of the product is highly appreciated by customers. All pre-processed tea of the Cooperative has been consumed in Vinh city and many provinces and cities in the country...
When brewed, Shan Tuyet tea in Huoi Tu will have a golden color like honey, not green like other types of tea, the aroma is no different from the original ancient Shan Tuyet that grows naturally in the highlands of Ha Giang or Yen Bai. That value is not something that tea grown in any region can have. Exploiting the potential and advantages of this highland product, Phuong Dong Tea Company - a business with many years of experience in processing and exporting tea has "targeted" Ky Son Shan Tuyet tea products.
Although still in the testing and market exploration stage, Mr. Tran Van Long - Raw Material Director of Phuong Dong Tea Company expressed great expectations: "We have made Shan Tuyet Black Tea products, brought them to Taiwan and Hong Kong for sale, and have now been approved by Taiwan for purchasing cooperation, and Hong Kong is in the process of evaluation. If we can enter these two markets, it will be very encouraging, because these are markets that consume a lot of black tea products, with extremely strict requirements on product quality". Currently, the enterprise has invested in the initial production line, in addition to the Black Tea product, the unit has also identified another key product, Shan Tuyet Whole Bud Tea, to target the markets of European countries, Japan, and Taiwan.
When mentioning local specialties in Ky Son, we cannot fail to mention ginger. With an area of about 800 hectares, Ky Son is considered the "capital" of ginger in Nghe An. For generations, ginger has been a native plant grown by ethnic minorities in Ky Son district on swidden fields. With the climate and geographical location, ginger grows and develops well, with high essential oil content and a strong aroma that is rarely found anywhere else.
Currently, there are two main types of Ky Son ginger: ginger and buffalo horn ginger with different characteristics. Buffalo horn ginger has a large root, round body, few branches, white skin and flesh, light yellow core, little fiber, and a strong spicy taste. As for ginger, it has a small root, round body, many branches, a characteristic strong aroma, and a lot of fiber. Ginger is mainly grown in the communes of Na Ngoi, Bao Thang, Dooc May, Muong Long, Huoi Tu... which are areas with terrain mainly of high mountains over 700m above sea level, with many undulating layers, rugged, and relatively large slopes. With different climates and natural conditions, Ky Son ginger has become famous.
On November 15, 2019, the National Office of Intellectual Property issued Decision No. 5587/QD-SHTT on granting the Certificate of Geographical Indication Registration No. 00077 for the "Ky Son" ginger product. Just 1 year later, the "Ky Son ginger" product was granted a 3-star OCOP product certificate by Nghe An province, which is also the first OCOP product in the district. This is also the motivation for the locality to continue developing ginger products, creating diversity for this local product.
Among the 800 hectares of ginger in Ky Son, Na Ngoi commune has the largest ginger area with over 300 hectares. Mr. Xong Ba Denh - Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune People's Committee said: Ginger is the main agricultural product for local people's income. Since Ky Son fresh ginger achieved OCOP certification, the market has expanded, local ginger consumption has also increased, so local people are very excited. There was a time when ginger was up to 30,000 VND/kg, people imported ginger and had fresh money during the day, contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction in the locality.
Visiting Huong Son Agricultural Services and Handicraft Cooperative (Huong Son Cooperative) in Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district, we were surprised by the closed ginger product processing system in this border area. From the preliminary processing, drying, grinding, packaging stages... are all scientifically arranged. Mr. Nguyen Van Luan - Director of Huong Son Cooperative, said: In 2023, the unit purchased about 1,200 tons of ginger for the people, due to the large market demand, the amount of ginger harvested was guaranteed to be consumed. We are very happy to have been able to consume the products for the people as well as bring Ky Son ginger products to many markets, promoting local ginger products.
It is known that after Ky Son fresh ginger achieved 3-star OCOP certification, Huong Son Cooperative invested in machinery and equipment to expand production scale, processing new products such as: Ginger essential oil, dried ginger slices, ginger powder... Up to now, there are 2 more ginger products, ginger essential oil and ginger powder, which have also achieved 3-star OCOP certification, making ginger products the most OCOP in the district compared to other agricultural products. Currently, the Cooperative continues to coordinate with the authorities to research ginger nano-solution products, striving to bring them to the market as soon as possible and complete the procedures to certify additional OCOP products from ginger.
The good news is that Ky Son ginger products have now reached the domestic market and are exported to China and Europe. Mr. Tho Ba Re - Vice Chairman of Ky Son District People's Committee emphasized: Through units and cooperatives in the area, Ky Son ginger products have been purchased in large quantities by traders in Vinh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... every year. These units have exported Ky Son ginger products to Asian and European countries. Although ginger products have not been directly exported in Ky Son, this is still a positive sign. Currently, ginger has been certified as a geographical indication and an OCOP product, so ginger export is also the district's future orientation. This is the driving force for the locality to continue investing and expanding ginger acreage in the area, ensuring income for highland people as well as promoting Ky Son's indigenous agricultural products to the world.
Besides Shan Tuyet Tea and Ky Son Ginger, which are OCOP products that have affirmed their position, for the remote border district of Ky Son, other products such as plums, peaches, and bo giang still need communication support to reach consumers as well as timely consumption during the main season...
