Nearly 65 years ago, the Hanoi-Quan Trieu (Thai Nguyen) railway line was officially put into operation. Since its inauguration in August 1960, during the resistance war against the US, the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen railway line has always been a vital route for transporting goods from the Thai Nguyen Steel Industrial Zone and Song Cong Industrial Zone, as well as military equipment, to support the south.

The survey delegates enjoy the products of Thai Nguyen on the train.

Thai Nguyen is one of the country’s major education centres. In recent years, the province’s economy has developed dynamically, especially in attracting investment and industrial development.

Thai Nguyen is also a region with beautiful natural landscapes and many valuable historical and cultural sites for tourism development.

The province has over 1,000 relic sites, including one special national site; 59 national sites; nearly 300 craft villages; and over 290 OCOP products rated 3 to 5 stars.

Thai Nguyen has a rich and diverse ethnic composition comprising 51 out of 54 ethnic groups, who still preserve many distinctive cultural features in their lives. The province has 23 heritage items listed in the national intangible cultural heritage inventory.

Additionally, Thai Nguyen is a revolutionary cradle with “red addresses” attracting tourists interested in historical and cultural relics and archaeological sites, notably: the special national relic site of Dinh Hoa Safety Zone; the national historical relic site commemorating young volunteers; the archaeological relic site of Than Sa in Vo Nhai District.

As a land of green mountains and clear waters, with a cool and fresh climate, Thai Nguyen features famous attractions like Nui Coc Lake; Ghenh Che Lake; Phuong Hoang Cave-Mo Ga Stream; the pristine streams, waterfalls, and rocky grounds on Tam Dao’s eastern slope; and poetic green tea hills, making it an attractive destination for eco-tourism and community tourism.

Notably, tea plants and products have long been associated with Thai Nguyen and its people. The art of tea appreciation has become a unique cultural feature of Thai Nguyen people. Tea plants, formerly used for poverty reduction, have now become a source of wealth and tourism for local people.

With a total area of 22,200 hectares and 267,500 tonnes of fresh buds, Thai Nguyen is the province with the largest tea area and production in the country. Total revenue from tea in 2023 was estimated at nearly 13 trillion VND (512.4 million USD).

With the desire to restore the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen passenger train line, the Thai Nguyen’s chairman has assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to work with the Department of Transport and other relevant agencies, to research and propose plans for developing tourism products linked to tea culture along the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen railway line.

On October 31, 2024, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Transport of Thai Nguyen Province, along with Vietnam Railways and Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, signed a coordination plan to promote tea culture and introduce Thai Nguyen tourism destinations along the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen railway line.

Later, on December 28, 2024, a pilot train from Hanoi Station to Thai Nguyen was operated with the participation of over 140 delegates, including officials from Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam Railways and its member units, and travel agencies from inside and outside the province.

The journey followed an itinerary connecting to Thai Nguyen’s tourist destinations to evaluate, propose, and participate in developing ideas for promoting tea culture linked with tourism development.

The survey train stopped at four stations: Pho Yen, Luu Xa, Thai Nguyen, and Quan Trieu. The survey group experienced various on-board services such as: tasting Thai Nguyen tea, listening to Then singing, and experiencing OCOP products and local agricultural products at arrival stations.

Afterward, the group visited the community tourism site in the Tan Cuong specialty tea area and held a discussion to contribute ideas for improving the concept of exploiting the railway line in connection with promoting tea culture and developing Thai Nguyen tourism.

Nguyen Van Ngoc, Director of the Thai Nguyen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that Thai Nguyen has many transport links provinces and cities in the northern region, especially with Hanoi. The province has been effectively exploiting road, air, and waterway routes, and the traditional railway line will be utilised in the coming time.

A Then performance on the train.

Welcoming Thai Nguyen Province’s idea and determination to reopen and develop the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen railway line, Nguyen Chinh Nam, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways, emphasised that exploiting the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen tourist train route is a new idea which promises to contribute positively to Thai Nguyen’s tourism development as well as help to improve Vietnam Railways’ services.

According to the plan, on January 11 and 12, 2025, Thai Nguyen will continue to fund train operating costs and coordinate with travel companies and tourist destinations in the province to provide free service for about 700 tourists who are high school students from Hanoi to experience Thai Nguyen’s tourist destinations, thereby continuing to evaluate product development and coordinate to effectively exploit tourist flows to Thai Nguyen combined with train experiences.

Thai Nguyen Province hopes that Vietnam Railways will submit the 2025 train operation plan on the Hanoi-Quan Trieu railway line to competent authorities for approval so it may better serve passenger transport needs; continue coordinating with Ha Lan Trade and Service Joint Stock Company to complete the operation plan for the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen tourist train; develop specific linkage mechanisms and incentives to facilitate travel businesses in organising Thai Nguyen railway tours; and support the promotion of Thai Nguyen’s tea and OCOP products on digital platforms and in the company’s nationwide sales system.

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