Thanh Mountain Ginseng - Green Gold of Bac Giang Land

Danh mountain range is the second largest mountain range in Tan Yen district, Bac Giang province, after Dot mountain in Phuc Son commune. The highest peak is Chung Son, 117m above sea level. With beautiful natural scenery, fresh air, over thousands of years, Danh mountain preserves a rare medicinal herb: ginseng. Because of its great economic value, Danh mountain ginseng gradually became scarce due to overexploitation while there was no conservation, propagation, or maintenance of the seed source. By the 70s of the last century, Danh mountain ginseng was almost exhausted. Even the image of this precious medicinal herb gradually faded in the subconscious of the people here. The anecdotes of this specialty are only known in oral stories, or from the remaining ancient documents.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and leaders of Bac Giang province visited Danh Duc Hanh Mountain Ginseng Cooperative.

Danh Mountain South Ginseng, also known as Nam Sam. According to the book “Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi”, Danh Mountain South Ginseng has been known since the Nguyen Dynasty with the name Cat Sam, and is considered a precious medicinal herb of Chung Son Mountain (now Danh Mountain, Tan Yen District, Bac Giang Province). By 2020, this medicinal herb was granted a geographical indication certificate by the Department of Intellectual Property under the name “Danh Tan Yen Mountain South Ginseng” as an affirmation of the significance and importance of this ginseng variety in the socio-economic development of the locality.

Not only having historical value, Danh mountain ginseng is also a cultural symbol of Tan Yen land. This ginseng is the pride of local people, both having medicinal value and being a cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and promoted.

Determining the importance of this plant in local socio-economic development, Tan Yen district has developed the Project “Developing Danh mountain ginseng in the period of 2022-2027”. Thanks to that, up to now, the whole district has about 150 hectares, concentrated in Lien Chung, Viet Lap communes and Cao Thuong town. In 2024, nearly 20 hectares of Danh mountain ginseng will be harvested for roots with a yield of 30 tons and more than 100 hectares will be harvested for flowers, with an average yield of about 1 ton of fresh flowers/ha.

In 2023, the People’s Committee of Bac Giang province recognized the Danh Mountain Spiritual Ecotourism Site in Hau village, Lien Chung commune, Tan Yen district. Danh Mountain Spiritual Ecotourism Site has been shaped and is increasingly attracting the attention of the community and people.

…To preserve precious medicinal plants

For Danh mountain ginseng to be known as it is today, it is impossible not to mention the dedicated people who are attached to the precious medicinal plants of Tay Yen land. One of them is the members of Danh Duc Hanh Mountain Ginseng Cooperative. They are the ones who have worked hard to research, grow and develop products from ginseng, with tireless efforts to preserve and promote, so that Danh mountain ginseng will forever be the “pride of Bac Giang homeland”. Established in 2021, Danh Duc Hanh Mountain Ginseng Cooperative has 7 members and is associated with dozens of households in the ginseng growing area. The facility focuses on growing and processing high-quality mountain ginseng to create products with the best value for users’ health.

The production, planting and processing of Danh mountain ginseng at the Cooperative are cultivated according to high-tech agricultural processes thanks to close cooperation with the Institute of Research, Training and Consulting on Science and Technology (ITC) Hanoi. Of which, there are more than 3 hectares of Danh mountain ginseng produced in an organic direction, using biological products, without using pesticides. Ginseng planted at the Cooperative since the beginning of 2022 has a survival rate of seedlings, growth and development reaching over 90%; the flower crop is harvested in September and October every year. After 3 years, each ginseng root has reached more than 1kg of yellow tubers with a characteristic aroma. In 2024, Duc Hanh Cooperative harvested nearly 5 tons of fresh flowers.

The main products of Duc Hanh Cooperative are now quite diverse such as: instant Danh mountain ginseng, dried ginseng root, ginseng flower tea, energy drinks, ginseng extract, ginseng tea, ginseng wine of all kinds, lychee honey - Danh mountain ginseng... supplied to the market nationwide. In addition to selling products from Danh mountain ginseng, the Cooperative is also actively expanding in the direction of combining the development of tourism to experience the ginseng flower season and the Danh temple festival in the first lunar month.

on the journey to reach far

The development prospects of Danh mountain ginseng do not stop at economic value. This is also an opportunity for Bac Giang to affirm its brand on the map of medicinal herbs in Vietnam and internationally.

The latest research has opened the door for Danh mountain ginseng to be applied in the production of functional foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Not stopping there, Bac Giang province also promotes the development of an agricultural tourism experience model, combining visiting ginseng growing areas with exploring culture and spirituality at Danh mountain.

Danh Mountain Ginseng, the “green gold” plant of Tan Yen land, is not only a symbol of the wealth of nature, but also a testament to the hard-working and creative spirit of the people of Bac Giang. From its rare medicinal value, along with its historical and cultural value, to its economic efficiency and development prospects, Danh Mountain Ginseng is gradually affirming its position on its journey to reach further, to domestic and international markets. Therefore, preserving and developing this precious medicinal plant is not only the responsibility of Bac Giang people, but also requires the joint efforts and attention of the whole community, so that Danh Mountain Ginseng always shines as a “green gold” treasure of the country..