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This is an annual festival held to honor the tea plant and the traditional tea-growing profession of Tan Cuong, a region known as the "Finest Tea Region." It is also an opportunity for tea growers, producers, processors, and especially tea drinkers and lovers of Tan Cuong tea in particular and Thai Nguyen tea in general to meet, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's experiences.
The festival begins with a procession of the most beautiful ancient tea tree in the region. The tea tree is placed on a beautifully decorated palanquin, carried by four young men and surrounded by six young women holding colorful silk ribbons. After the opening drumbeat, many meaningful activities are organized, such as tea offering, tea invitation, and lion dance.
One of the main parts of the festival is a competition for the best tea, made using traditional handcrafted methods, among eight hamlets of Tan Cuong commune. According to local tea growers, to produce 1 kg of dried tea leaves using traditional methods, it takes about 3 hours for the tea maker to roast and roll the tea. Roasting the tea depends heavily on various factors such as the fire temperature, the skill in rolling the tea, and the need for consistent roasting.
Packaging of Tan Cuong tea products, Thai Nguyen province. Photo: VNA
Besides the tea-making competition, the festival is also vibrant and attractive with cultural performances and traditional folk games such as throwing the ball, tug-of-war, stick pushing, cockfighting, and chess…
This year marks the seventh year that the Tan Cuong tea region has been granted the "Tan Cuong" Geographical Indication Registration Certificate for its tea products, covering three communes: Phuc Xuan, Phuc Triu, and Tan Cuong, with a total area of over 4,860 hectares. It is also one of five national products registered for geographical indication protection nationwide. Tan Cuong has identified tea as one of its key crops in its future development plan.
