Leveraging value of ancient Shan Tuyet Tea Region in developing circular agricultural tourism in Ho Thau Commune of Tuyen Quang province
WVR - On April 17, in Tuyen Quang Province, the Journal of Agriculture and Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in collaboration with the People's Committee of Ho Thau Commune, Tuyen Quang Province, organized a seminar titled "Leveraging the Value of Ancient Shan Tuyet Tea Region in Developing Circular Agricultural Tourism in Ho Thau Commune".
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| Through the seminar, Ho Thau's ancient Shan Tuyet tea is expected to pave the way for circular agricultural tourism, helping farmers increase their income and prosper. (Source: Ho Thau Media) |
The seminar gathered over 150 delegates, including representatives from central and local authorities, scientists, experts, businesses, and media agencies.
As part of the activities leading up to the Tuyen Quang Shan Tuyet Tea Festival 2026, the event aims to affirm the status, historical, and ecological value of the ancient Shan Tuyet tea region in Ho Thau. It also provides a forum for management agencies, scientists, and businesses to propose solutions to promote deep processing, enhance product value, and OCOP standards; and to build a model of circular agricultural tourism associated with cultural, ecological, and health experiences.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Dao Xuan Hung, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Agriculture and Environment, stated, “Ancient Shan Tuyet tea is a precious heritage bestowed by nature upon the northern mountainous localities, including Ho Thau, Tuyen Quang. These centuries-old tea trees not only offer economic value but also embody distinctive ecological and indigenous cultural values. This is the foundation for Ho Thau to develop new economic models in a green and sustainable direction. Each tea bud, each tree canopy carries a story of resilient adaptation to climate change and a harmonious lifestyle between humans and the environment.”
With 1,555 hectares of ancient Shan Tuyet tea and extremely rare forest tea varieties, Ho Thau is becoming the main entity in the value chain, from production and processing to providing tourism services. The combination of Shan Tuyet tea production with agricultural tourism is a correct and promising direction. Visitors come not only to enjoy tea but also to experience the production process, explore indigenous culture, and immerse themselves in the nature and life of the highland people. With a natural area of over 13,680 hectares, featuring Chieu Lau Thi peak and 8,303 hectares of special-use forest, Ho Thau is shifting from resource exploitation to cultural value exploitation.
Possessing a system of naturally growing ancient tea trees under the canopy of primary forests, Ho Thau has a rare advantage to develop high-end tea lines and experiential tourism. However, the reality shows that the tea value chain in the locality has not been adequately exploited; products are mainly in raw form, lacking deep processing, strong branding, and a complete circular agricultural tourism model.
At the seminar, delegates focused on discussing and proposing solutions to effectively exploit the potential of the ancient Shan Tuyet tea region in Ho Thau in a multi-value direction, including: developing deep processing, enhancing tea product value; building a brand associated with OCOP; developing experiential tourism in the heritage tea region; and forming a linkage chain between farmers, cooperatives, businesses, and travel agencies.
The plenary session themed "Preserving Heritage & Circular Tourism" provided an open dialogue space between managers, experts, travel businesses, and the local farming community. Here, delegates focused on discussing solutions to socialize the conservation of heritage tea trees while promoting a linkage model between government, households, experts, and tourism businesses to form a sustainable development value chain.
Delegates also proposed connectivity standards for gardens and cooperatives to directly coordinate with travel businesses in welcoming guests, developing experiential spaces in the tea region, as well as orienting the construction of "tea houses" and developing health tourism products for high-end tourists.
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| Leveraging the value of Ancient Shan Tuyet Tea Region in developing circular agricultural tourism in Ho Thau Commune |
Within the program's framework, the Journal of Agriculture and Environment and the People's Committee of Ho Thau Commune signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation in communication, promoting the image of Ho Thau's ancient Shan Tuyet tea region, and supporting the connection of scientific, business, and tourism resources to promote the development of a circular agricultural tourism model in the locality.
The organization of the seminar is expected to contribute to providing scientific and practical bases for policy-making; raising awareness about the conservation of Shan Tuyet tea values and sustainable development; and promoting the image of Ho Thau Commune as a potential-rich tourist destination, aiming towards the model of "green economy - ecological tourism - sustainable livelihoods" in the coming period.
