More than 300 "ginseng contestants" participated

This year's Ngoc Linh ginseng contest attracted more than 100 households to participate. Accordingly, the households brought to the contest about 300 "ginseng contestants" of the following ages: 1-4 years old, 5 years old, 7 years old, 9 years old and 10 years old.

From the afternoon of July 31, people brought their most beautiful ginseng plants to participate in the contest. After the preliminary round, more than 200 ginseng plants qualified to participate in the contest. The judges selected 50 beautiful, high-quality Ngoc Linh ginseng plants for the final round which took place this morning (August 1).

Mr. Bui Nhu Chuong (in Tra Linh commune) attended the contest with a Ngoc Linh ginseng plant weighing about 2 ounces, more than 15 years old. “My family has been growing Ngoc Linh ginseng in Tra Linh for many years, as usual, I chose the most beautiful ginseng plant to bring to the contest. I am very happy that this year's festival has more participants, many beautiful and quality ginseng plants,” said Mr. Chuong.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thuong, residing in Tra Cang commune, said that since the information about the 6th Ngoc Linh ginseng festival - 2024, she chose the 2 most beautiful Ngoc Linh ginseng trees from thousands of planted trees. Since yesterday afternoon, she brought them to the ginseng festival to participate in the competition. One tree is 5 years old, and the other is more than 10 years old.

“I choose plants that grow well and have beautiful roots to bring to the contest, hoping to widely promote the Ngoc Linh ginseng brand to everyone. At the same time, this is a good opportunity for me to exchange, learn, and share experiences in growing and developing Ngoc Linh ginseng,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Huynh, Director of Huynh Sam Company.

The 'ginseng contestants' will take turns performing in front of hundreds of people. The Organizing Committee will carefully evaluate the shape of the stem, leaves, roots and score. The most unique, high-quality, and comprehensive ginseng plants will be selected to receive awards.

Auction of award-winning Ngoc Linh ginseng to support the removal of temporary housing

According to the Organizing Committee, the organization of the contest is an opportunity to exchange and learn technical experiences in planting, caring for and protecting Ngoc Linh ginseng among ginseng growing households in the area. After winning the prize, the ginseng plants will be auctioned to support the Fund for Eliminating Temporary Housing for Poor Households in Nam Tra My District in response to the call of the Secretary of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee.

According to the Organizing Committee, many "barefoot tycoons" in the "capital" of Ngoc Linh Ginseng have also registered to donate many beautiful Ngoc Linh ginseng plants to contribute to the Temporary Housing Elimination Fund.

For example, Mr. Tran Van Hanh, a resident of Tra Linh commune, donated a 3-branch Ngoc Linh ginseng plant weighing about 3 ounces. “When I heard about the auction of Ngoc Linh ginseng to support the Temporary Housing Elimination Fund, I also wanted to contribute a little to the needy. This ginseng plant has a market price of about 30 million VND, but I hope that many people will bid high, so that we can have more money to help the people,” Mr. Hanh confided.

Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hang, living in Tra Cang commune, shared: Coming to this ginseng festival, I am very happy because I have the opportunity to learn more experiences. Besides, I also chose the most beautiful Ngoc Linh ginseng to compete, although I do not know the results yet, I have also donated it to the Organizing Committee for auction. "Currently, there are still many people who are still in difficulty, so I contribute my small effort to help them in some way, which is precious," Ms. Hang shared more.

The most representative was Mr. Ho Van Luong, Tra Linh commune, who brought to this ginseng festival 3 of the best quality Ngoc Linh ginseng plants. After the demonstration and being judged, Mr. Luong donated all 3 ginseng plants for auction. “I am very happy because the auction price reached 129 million VND. This is not a large amount of money, but it will help people to have more houses, or more corrugated iron roofing sheets,” said Mr. Luong.

By noon on August 1, the Ngoc Linh ginseng auction to support the Temporary Housing Eradication Fund had been completed. The organizers said that 11 individuals and organizations donated 14 Ngoc Linh ginseng roots for auction, raising more than 360 million VND. Although it was the first time it was held, the auction was very exciting, attracting a large number of people and tourists to watch the festival.

“As a result, the auction raised more than 361 million VND, all of which was used to support the work of eliminating temporary houses in Nam Tra My district. This is one of the activities that not only contributes to enriching the Ngoc Linh ginseng festival in 2024, but also has a humane and practical meaning in response to the Party and State's policy in the effort to eliminate temporary houses", Mr. Tran Van Man, Vice Chairman of Nam Tra My District People's Committee shared.