Thai Nguyen seeks cooperation with Japanese businesses to receive technology and experience in developing new tea products for international markets.
On September 8, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, Vice Chairwoman of the Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee, hosted a working session with the Japan - Viet Nam Economic Exchange Center to discuss cooperation opportunities in tea production, processing, and product development.
Currently, Thai Nguyen boasts 22,000 hectares of tea, yielding about 280,000 tons annually, accounting for over 18% of the country's tea area and more than 24% of its fresh tea bud production. However, products are mainly processed into traditional green tea for the domestic market or exported as raw materials. The province expects Japanese cooperation to help diversify products, shift toward deep processing, and enhance the value of Thai Nguyen tea.
Mr. Tsutsumi Yoshiaki, General Director of Maruei Company, highly appreciates the development potential of Thai Nguyen tea. Photo: Minh Toan.Mr. Tsutsumi Yoshiaki, General Director of Maruei Company, an enterprise with 40 years of experience operating in 30 countries, assessed that Thai Nguyen tea has immense potential to develop various product lines, especially matcha. He noted that Japanese technology can be utilized to promote the unique characteristics of Thai Nguyen tea materials, thereby creating products with strong local identity but at higher international standards, without simply copying entire Japanese processes.
Professor Ueda Yoshiaki, Director of the Japan - Viet Nam Economic Exchange Center, added that Japan can support human resource training, from production techniques to product development, and suggested researching blended tea products to reach younger consumers.
Thai Nguyen tea products are becoming increasingly diverse, targeting major export markets such as Japan and China. Photo: Duc Binh.During the meeting, Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung, Chairman of Thien Phu Tea Company, expressed a strong interest in producing matcha and expanding specific raw material areas for this product line to directly access international markets. In response, Maruei's representative expressed readiness to provide technical support and orientation for planting areas to create international-standard matcha.
In addition to production and processing cooperation, Thai Nguyen province invited the Japanese delegation to attend the Thai Nguyen International Tea Festival 2026, scheduled for late October to mark the province's 195th anniversary. The event will serve as a platform for businesses from both sides to exhibit products, introduce technology, share experiences, and seek investment cooperation, while also introducing Japanese tea ceremony culture to local residents and visitors.