With more than 22,000 ha of tea, high production volume and a brand protected in multiple markets, Thai Nguyen has significant advantages in taking its tea products further into international markets. However, export volume remains below its potential. In response, Thai Nguyen Province is stepping up trade promotion, seeking partners, standardizing raw-material areas, developing processing and building value chains, gradually raising the value of the tea industry toward the USD 1 billion target for the 2025-2030 period.
Thai Nguyen aims for its tea industry to reach USD 1 billion in the 2025-2030 period
From export orders to standardization requirements
Tea has long been a key agricultural commodity, supporting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of households and building Thai Nguyen's distinctive brand. As of August 2026, the province's fresh tea bud output had reached nearly 195,000 tons; the annual output value of the tea sector exceeded VND 14.8 trillion.
Thai Nguyen tea's advantage lies not only in its raw-material area but also in its established brand value. The “Thai Nguyen Tea” collective mark has been protected in 6 countries and territories: the United States, China, Taiwan, Russia, Japan and South Korea.
Nevertheless, tea export volume remains below the potential of production and brand value. The challenge is therefore not simply to increase output, but to ensure that more tea products achieve stable quality and high added value while meeting international market requirements.
At Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative (Vo Tranh Commune), export opportunities are gradually becoming reality. In 2019, 3 tea products from the Cooperative were exported to Europe. Recently, the Cooperative has held several working sessions with Taiwanese partners, taken product samples for testing, and prepared to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation at the end of October this year. To meet stringent international market requirements, the Cooperative successfully renewed organic certification for 20 ha of tea and expanded its raw-material area to more than 100 ha.
Mr. To Van Khiem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative, said that to bring products to international markets, the Cooperative must simultaneously meet numerous requirements concerning facilities, production processes, product quality and relevant certifications. Notably, each market has its own standards, requiring the Cooperative to proactively research requirements, control the entire process and regularly adjust production.
Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative focusing on standardizing its raw-material area to meet organic standards and stringent export-market requirements
Export standards are therefore not a “ticket” that needs to be secured only once. They require continuous control from raw-material areas and cultivation through harvesting, processing, packaging and traceability. This is also a core requirement as Thai Nguyen reorients its tea industry toward higher quality, added value and competitiveness.
Tea products from Khe Coc Safe Tea Cooperative at the Vietnam Export Brand Fair
Proactively seeking partners and expanding markets
Alongside quality improvements, Thai Nguyen is stepping up trade promotion, proactively seeking partners and expanding markets for tea products. The province is facilitating opportunities for businesses, cooperatives, investors and foreign corporations to learn about raw-material areas, the tea industry and Thai Nguyen tea culture. Networking, product-promotion and trade-promotion activities are gradually laying the groundwork for long-term cooperation agreements in production, processing, technology transfer and product distribution.
Huong Van Tra Cooperative signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with Success Making Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
One notable approach is to strengthen cooperation with foreign partners from the production stage rather than focusing solely on product sales.
Recently, Huong Van Tra Cooperative signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with South Korea's Success Making Co., Ltd., aiming to promote cooperation in tea-industry development, trade promotion and technology transfer, and to expand markets for Thai Nguyen tea in South Korea and other international markets.
The two sides agreed to establish a long-term strategic partnership focusing on enhancing the value of the Thai Nguyen Tea brand, developing high-quality product lines for export, connecting with the South Korean and international markets, and promoting technology transfer and innovation in tea production and processing.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Van, Director of Huong Van Tra Cooperative, said that cooperation with the South Korean partner opens up opportunities for the Cooperative not only to access new markets, but also to acquire technology and improve its approach to international customers. The Cooperative expects that a foothold in one market can lead to new connections, but the key remains maintaining stable quality, meeting standards and preserving the identity of Thai Nguyen tea.
As part of the cooperation, the two sides also aim to develop green agriculture, the circular economy and sustainable development; coordinate the promotion of tea culture linked with experiential tourism; and explore investment opportunities across the tea-industry value chain. This is also the direction Thai Nguyen is promoting, linking tea not only with agricultural production but also with processing, trade, tourism and culture.
Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee meeting with a delegation from WellTea Joint Stock Company (Taiwan) to discuss investment in building a tea-processing plant in Thai Nguyen to develop high-quality product lines for the domestic market and export
According to Mr. Nguyen My Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, going forward, the province will continue focusing on developing stable raw-material areas and improving product quality; supporting cooperatives and businesses in applying management technology and traceability; and building sustainable value-chain linkage models among residents, cooperatives and businesses. “To expand exports, we must first build a production foundation that meets market requirements. The province will continue enabling businesses and cooperatives to connect with partners and expand markets, while encouraging investment in processing, digital transformation and traceability to increase the value of tea products”, Mr. Nguyen My Hai said.
From export orders in Europe and negotiations with Taiwanese partners to a new cooperation agreement with a South Korean business, export opportunities for Thai Nguyen tea are expanding. But for these opportunities to become stable markets, the tea industry needs strong value-chain linkages, raw-material areas that meet standards, competitive products, and businesses and cooperatives capable of meeting increasingly demanding market requirements.
When production, processing, trade and branding are connected within a single value chain, Thai Nguyen tea will have a stronger foundation to convert its advantages in raw-material areas and brand recognition into greater export value, gradually affirming the position of a distinctive tea-growing region in the international market.