Thai Nguyen overview

Area: 3,542.6 sq. km.
Population: 1,095,400 habitants (2004)
Capital: Thai Nguyen City.
Administrative divisions:
- Town: Song Cong
- Districts: Dinh Hoa, Dai Tu, Vo Nhai, Dong Hy, Phu Luong, Phu Binh, Pho Yen.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Tay, Nung, San Diu...

Thai Nguyen Geography

Situated in Far North – East Vietnam ( North East Vietnam tour ), Thai Nguyen Province is surrounded by Bac Kan Province on the north, Tuyen Quang and Vinh Phuc provinces on the west, Lang Son and Bac Giang provinces on the east, and Hanoi on the south.

Mountains account most of Thai Nguyen’s topography with Tam Dao, Ngan Son, Bac Son ranges. The complex network of rivers includes Cau, Cong, Du, and Rang… The main nature resources are coal, iron, steel, and titan… Thanks to good soil, Thai Nguyen tea, especially tea of Tan Cuong origin has long been a nation- wide famous product.

There are two seasons: winter lasts from November to April and summer is from May to October. Annual average temperature is 25ºC.

Thai Nguyen Tourism

The Palace Legend, 100 km far from Ha Noi capital, is included in the Nui Coc Lake tourism area in Tan Thai commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province. Nui Coc Lake is an irrigation work built in 1973 to regulate water of Cong river for watering rice regions of Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces( Bac Ninh Travel ).

With a width of 2,600 ha, a depth of 50 m and 89 small and large islands, Nui Coc Lake is an interesting eco-tourism destination. Imitating the legend of the forever love of a couple named Cong - Coc passing from generation to generation, Nui Coc Lake Labor Union Tourism Center in combination with Investment and Trade Development Center built the Palace Legend. The Palace Legend is a cultural tourism work. The man-made system of caves has been designed by architectures on an area of 3,000 square meters. Standing by the gate of the tourism site is statues of Cong and Coc. The Palace legend is 100 meters from the gate.

The appearance of the Palace Legend is like a mountain range with the statue of male fairy holding a bamboo stick, presenting the good fighting against the bad. Inside the palace there is a man-made stream flowing around the cave. Sitting on small boat, tourists can look at scenery of the two sides. System of cave and architectural works has recounted by pictures the legend of Cong and Coc. It is said that there was a couple loving each other very much but their love did not become true due to their different social positions. Then, the man waited for his lover so long that he became a mountain (Coc Mountain) and the girl cried for her lover so much that she became a river (Cong River). Tears of Cong absorbed into the land of Tan Cuong to make a famous specialty: Tan Cuong tea. The love story finished when the boat reaches the bank for tourists to take another travel on Nui Coc Lake in a ship.

The water surface is large and quiet. Somewhere some storks sore above the islands in the middle of the lake, which suggests a quite and pleasant life far from the bustle and crowdedness of the urban life. In October, a water park to be built here with a total capital of VND 10 billion will make a comprehensive tourism complex. Therefore, tourists enjoy weekends in a pleasant and interesting way.

Thai Nguyen Transportation

Thai Nguyen City is on National Highway No.3 (Hanoi, Cao Bang - Cao Bang Travel ), 80km from Hanoi. There is daily train from Hanoi to Quan Trieu, about 8km from center of Thai Nguyen City

Thai Nguyen culture

In the past, tourists come to Tan Cuong whilst on route to Nui Coc Lake. Now, Tan Cuong itself has become an attractive destination. Far from Thai Nguyen city centre 13 km in the West, Tan Cuong is a half mountain half-plain area with nice natural landscapes and ranges of mountains sloping down in the direction of sun set, which is called Than Lan Mountain (Lizard Mountain) by the local people. From forests on mountains, streams flow around the hill foots to water the area of famous tea specialty.

Tourists always surprise at pure environment and quiet atmosphere of this area. Here hill after hill, tea after tea and the flavor of fresh tea spreads in the air. People here are absorbed in their daily work, from plucking tea like dancing and the way of drying and firing tea like jugglery. It is the artistic skills that many local people are raised as artisans. Each family has it own tea garden and drying oven. The household owner plays some roles as farmer (when growing tea), worker (when processing) and businessperson (when selling). Normally girls are tea pluckers and while plucking their sounds of speaking, singing and laughing spreads on the tea hills.

In the past tea was rolled in cast iron pan, then scented in copper pan. Only women have enough patience to do this because each make takes a full day. At present, modern machines roll tea instead of people, thus shortening the duration of processing. However, tea becomes good or not good depending mainly on controlling fire, be the methods are used. The temperature can rise to 180 degrees centigrade, Tan Cuong people has passed generation to generation the know-how of feeling the heat by hand.
While processing tea, farmer has become real artisan. The sensitiveness of fingers tells them when to increase or decrease temperature, overheat will make tea burned but underheat will make tea not quite fully cured, difficult to drink. Some artisans say that only by hearing the sound of tea leaves moving inside the heating oven they can know the heat of the oven. Although they don’t hide skills and guide each movement but tourists do not dare to come closer to the heating oven but not to say rolling the tea by bare hand in the heating oven.

After harvesting, fresh tea must be kept in shadow for about 3 hours before processing, tea will have wonderful taste, this is the precious experience withdrawn through generations. While waiting, tourist can visit “founder land” of Tan Cuong tea, watching ancient tea garden in Lam Son village on the foot of Guoc mountain, each old lumpy tree has a wide shade with thousand of bristling fresh tea buds.

Listening to the legend of this precious tea specialty region and enjoying tea in the pure atmosphere, tourists will feel the full natural flavor in each Tan Cuong tea bud.