AsianSpirations’ Handmade Teapot Partner in Vietnam
At only 23, Nguyen Ngoc Quyen is defining success for a generation of young Vietnamese set on forging a new path in business.
Nguyen Ngoc Quyen never saw himself in the tea set business. Only 23 years old, Mr. Quyen is one of a new generation of Vietnamese youth looking to do something a little different from the norm.
Mr. Quyen is the director of the southern branch of a new company dedicated to selling the highest quality tea sets and tea leaves.
At university, he studied a completely different field. “I went to school to become an engineer,” he said. “I never thought I would end up selling tea products.”
Mr. Quyen’s family was a bit uneasy when they first heard of his plans to forego years of mechanical engineering studies to start his own business in the pottery and tea industry.
“At first they were surprised,” he said. “But they have since been very supportive. They have helped me both financially as well as with encouragement.”
Originally from Ha Tinh, a province in north-central Vietnam, Mr. Quyen now lives in Ho Chi Minh City, while his family remains in their homeland.
The company, called Tra Thinh An, opened in July 2017. Currently, there are 10 people working at the company office in Ho Chi Minh City, and several more working on the farms in Thai Nguyen, far to the northwest of the nation, where the tea plants are cultivated. For tea set production, Tra Thinh An partners with the well respected Hoang Long pottery company in the craft village of Bat Trang, just outside of Hanoi, the nation’s capital.
But what is a tea set without great tea?
“Using high quality, all natural tea leaves is critical to a great cup of tea,” Mr. Quyen emphasized. When most people think of where tea originated, they think China or Japan, but tea cultivation has long been a part of Vietnamese cultures as well.
“Long before coffee came to Vietnam, we had tea. It’s been loved here for a long time. To make a good cup of tea is an art,” Mr. Quyen explained. “It has medicinal properties as well. It’s an antioxidant, slows aging, and may prevent some cancers.”
Clinical studies have indeed shown that drinking green tea can offer health benefits, including the prevention of cancer and heart diseases, inflammation arthritis, and the lowering of cholesterol (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855614/).
Mr. Quyen said that his company never uses any unnatural chemicals in any of its products. “I want our products to be as natural as possible for our customer’s health,” he said.
Mr. Quyen first became interested in tea through his family, who taught him a lot about it when he was a boy. Later, while at a tea fair, he discovered a kiosk with a tea with which be became especially fond. “I kept going back there again and again,” Mr. Quyen said. This led to his getting in touch with the owner of the farm.
“This was what inspired me to enter the business. It was the owner of the collective tea farm where our tea comes from.”
The tea is grown in the most ideal conditions for cultivating a high-quality product, Mr. Quyen explained. “It’s the weather, the soil, and the climate of the area,” he said. “And everything is done by hand, all natural, and it’s nutritious for you. It’s a tea that’s good for your health.”
The company has two main goals: To help refine the tea cultivation process into a system that produces better and better tea, and improving life in the tea-growing provinces. “We want to reinvest in the growing methods and learn better ways to grow a high-quality product.”
In addition, the company hopes to help improve the lives of the people who work on the farms, Mr. Quyen said. “We hope the business can make a profit and give some of it back in helping the people in the community.”
“I hope in the future to bring the best quality of tea to the consumer. I also want to open a tea-house where people can find peace and quietness, and be able to calm their minds. I want to help people enjoy a good cup of tea, connect with each other, and share the knowledge of tea.”
