Huong Van – Sharing the authentic flavor of Vietnamese tea with the world
Among the rolling green tea hills of Tan Cuong, widely regarded as Vietnam’s most renowned tea-growing region, Nguyen Thi Huong Van has spent years pursuing a quiet but determined goal: preserving the authentic character of Vietnamese tea while introducing it to a wider international audience.
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… Rooted in Thai Nguyen’s tea culture
Nguyen Thi Huong Van, CEO and Chairwoman of Huong Van Tea Cooperative, has dedicated herself to building a tea brand founded on integrity, perseverance, and a deep belief in the cultural value of Vietnamese tea.
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Born and raised in Thai Nguyen, the heartland of Vietnam’s tea culture, Nguyen Thi Huong Van grew up surrounded by endless tea hills, the comforting aroma of freshly brewed tea, and the familiar tradition of sharing stories over a warm cup of tea in Vietnamese households.
Her love for tea was not shaped overnight. It grew naturally through memory, culture, and a deep appreciation for a product that has long been an integral part of Vietnamese life and identity.
Yet it was this same passion that led her to confront a challenging reality: despite its reputation at home, Vietnamese tea still lacked the level of international brand recognition seen in other major tea-producing countries.
While many countries have successfully transformed tea into both a cultural symbol and an economic powerhouse, much of Vietnamese tea continued to be consumed domestically or exported primarily as raw material, often without a distinctive global brand identity.
This realization encouraged Nguyen Thi Huong Van to develop products that reflect the identity and traditions of Vietnamese tea culture, while also sharing the cultural stories behind them.
Building a tea brand rooted in tradition
In 2004, she began building a tea brand bearing her own name, with the aspiration of producing tea with carefully selected raw materials and consistent quality standards that preserved the authentic flavor of Tan Cuong tea while protecting the traditions of her homeland.
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After nearly two decades of experience and market development, she officially established Huong Van Tea Cooperative in 2020, expanding a collaborative production model that connects local tea farmers and strengthens sustainable value chains for the tea industry.
Today, the cooperative works with tea-growing communities in Tan Cuong, Thai Nguyen, helping cultivate high-quality tea materials while improving livelihoods and preserving traditional farming knowledge.
For Nguyen Thi Huong Van, tea production is closely tied to the preservation of local culture and traditional tea-making practices.
For this reason, Huong Van Tea Cooperative places strong emphasis on clean raw materials, safe cultivation, and sustainable farming practices. Tea production follows carefully managed processes, from cultivation and harvesting to roasting, drying, and packaging, with the goal of preserving the signature aroma, gentle bitterness, and lingering sweetness that distinguish authentic Tan Cuong tea.
Beyond product quality, Nguyen Thi Huong Van has invested significant effort into promoting Vietnamese tea culture through tea experience spaces in Thai Nguyen, where visitors can explore tea-making traditions firsthand, experience tea tasting, and gain deeper insight into the cultural heritage behind every cup.
She believes that if Vietnamese tea is to reach a wider global audience, international consumers must understand not only the product itself, but also the origin, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage behind it.
These efforts have gradually gained recognition.
Expanding recognition
Products from Huong Van Tea Cooperative have earned recognition under Vietnam’s OCOP (One Commune One Product) 4-Star Program, while various tea lines have gained growing appreciation from consumers across the country. The cooperative has also focused on product traceability, modern packaging, and customer experience—important factors in enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese tea in an increasingly globalized market.
One notable aspect of the cooperative’s development strategy is its close collaboration with local farmers.
Rather than pursuing isolated business success, she has focused on long-term partnerships that help improve farmers’ incomes, production quality, and sustainability while preserving traditional tea-making practices.
Under her leadership, Huong Van Tea Cooperative has gradually expanded its activities to include tourism experiences and community-based cultural promotion, becoming a bridge connecting agriculture, culture, tourism, and community development.
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In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, Nguyen Thi Huong Van’s aspiration remains both simple and profound: to secure a rightful place for Vietnamese tea on the world tea map.
Her long-term goal is to help Vietnamese tea gain broader international recognition while preserving the authenticity and cultural identity associated with Thai Nguyen tea.
Behind that aspiration is the quiet determination of someone who believes that every cup of Vietnamese tea carries the essence of nature, cultural heritage, and generations of craftsmanship.
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And through that journey, Huong Van Tea is doing more than selling tea—it is telling the story of Vietnam through the authentic flavors of Tan Cuong tea.
