Binh Minh: New direction from cinnamon and tea

People in Binh Minh village, Na Ri commune sell cinnamon to traders.

Binh Minh village was established on the basis of merging Na Don and Khuoi It villages. The village currently has 97 households, of which 62% are Dao, the rest are Tay, Nung and Kinh. Here, in economic development, people mainly grow two main crops: cinnamon and tea. Of which, the cinnamon area is currently about 300ha, tea 23ha.

Previously, people were attached to corn and cassava fields, working hard all year round, but their income was not high. The percentage of poor households was high, and food and clothing were still constant concerns. The turning point came in 2011-2012, after a study tour in Yen Bai province, Mr. Trieu Van Toan, Secretary of the village Party Cell, realized that cinnamon trees could open a new direction. The climate and soil in the village are quite similar to the cinnamon growing area of Yen Bai, and there is also a large hilly land, which if exploited will become an advantage.

Mr. Toan boldly planted experimental trees on his family's land. The trees took root and grew well. Based on that, the commune applied forestation support projects and deployed 134 hectares of cinnamon in the village. When seeing the obvious results, people no longer relied on state support but proactively invested in buying seeds to expand the area. It was Mr. Toan's pioneering work that helped people change their production mindset, opening up a sustainable way out of poverty from cinnamon trees.

The family of Mr. Lam Van Nguyen, the village chief, planted 4 hectares of cinnamon. In 2024, he harvested 500 trees, earning over 160 million VND. Mr. Nguyen said: Cinnamon was planted earliest in the Khuoi Khe lake area, then people planted more on the hills near their homes. Up to now, almost every household has planted it.

For cinnamon trees, there are two best times of the year to harvest the bark: February-March and August-September. At this time, villagers often hire or exchange labor for each other to harvest. “The hills are steep and difficult to move, so if each household does it themselves, we often exchange labor or hire more people to harvest, collect a large quantity and then sell it to earn a decent amount,” said Ms. Truong Thi Bong.

In addition to cinnamon, tea is also a product that brings a good income to the villagers. Tea trees have been mainly grown in Khuoi It village (old) for many years. Initially, people planted small areas for self-sufficiency. Later, realizing that it could bring income and that the product was popular with customers, they planted more tea branches, recreated the available tea seed areas, and applied science and technology in production to improve productivity and product quality.

People of Binh Minh village harvest tea.

Ms. Dang Thi Luu, a villager, said: The family's tea garden is right next to the house, so it is very convenient to care for and harvest. Every month or so, a batch of tea is harvested, providing a stable and higher income than other crops.

Binh Minh village is also blessed by nature with Khuoi Khe lake, with a water surface area of about 32 hectares, winding along a length of 8km between deep green mountains. To exploit this potential, the local government has invested in building infrastructure for tourism, such as: Operator house, boat dock, auxiliary area... creating conditions for tourists to visit and experience.

Mr. Trieu Van Toan, Secretary of the village Party Cell, said: We hope that all levels and sectors will continue to invest in infrastructure and support the people to develop Khuoi Khe Lake into an attractive destination for tourists. People will both do tourism and develop their strong products to increase their income...