On this occasion, Lao Dong Newspaper conducted an interview with writer and journalist Nguyen Hoan - Former Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Communications, former Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial Literature and Arts Association, who has many years of attachment, research and dedicated many pages to Khe Sanh in general, and Khe Sanh coffee in particular. The conversation takes readers back to the important milestones of the 100-year journey and provides in-depth information, rich in practical value about the unique quality of Khe Sanh coffee, its position in the domestic and international markets, as well as strategic suggestions for sustainable development.
Throughout his journalism and writing career, he has devoted a lot of time and enthusiasm to the "land of golden fruits" - Khe Sanh in capital letters. In 2026, in the great flow of Quang Tri homeland, there is a big and meaningful "milestone", which is 100 years of Khe Sanh coffee. As someone who has written many pages about Khe Sanh, what do you think about this "milestone"?
2026 is a "milestone" marking the 100th anniversary of coffee trees being present and developing in Khe Sanh. Speaking of 100 years of Khe Sanh coffee, people immediately think of Eugène Poilane (1888-1964), a Frenchman who dedicated his life to the land of Khe Sanh. With a passion for collecting and learning botanics, Eugène Poilane became a natural explorer, a famous botanist. In 1918, he first came to Khe Sanh, loved the lush vegetation here and thought that the red soil of Khe Sanh was as wonderful as the soil in Tuscany, Italy. In 1926, he returned to Khe Sanh to plant the first Chiari coffee (jam coffee) trees on this land.
Auguste Chevalier, a veteran French botanist, Eugène Poilane's teacher, praised his student: "One of the prides of my life is discovering this brave person and turning him into my excellent student." Auguste Chevalier said that Eugène Poilane is one of the best botanist explorers in Asia and his name is worthy of being compared to famous predecessors of botanists such as Roxburgh (Scotland), Brandis (Germany), Kurz (Germany), Pierre (France), Henry (England), Delavay (France), Wilson (England), Kerr (Ireland)... Eugène Poilane left behind 50,000 plant specimens, two notebooks, two manuscripts: "Notes of a Farmer" and "My Memoirs"; nine handwritten notebooks, many letters... For Eugène Poilane, Vietnam is "a country that I love and consider mine, I am no longer French, but Indian". He wanted his student to be a good student.
The 100th anniversary of Khe Sanh coffee is an opportunity to review the journey of a century of coffee tree development in the land where Eugène Poilane sowed the "golden fruit", recognizing Eugène Poilane's contributions here, the achievements and fame that Khe Sanh coffee has achieved over the years, thereby "packing up the baggage", building a new development direction for Khe Sanh coffee, commensurate with the potential and advantages of the "golden land".
100 years of history, but in reality, for many different reasons, but the biggest is that it took too many decades in war and bombing, so the development of Khe Sanh coffee has only really been interested in investment and development in the past few decades. How do you assess the ranking and brand that Khe Sanh coffee has achieved on the Vietnamese and world coffee map?
Khe Sanh coffee has a characteristic deliciousness that other places do not have. Compared to other Arabica coffee growing regions such as Son La or Di Linh, Khe Sanh coffee has a higher caffeine content, creating a deep but light bitter taste, along with a rich aftertaste. High and uniform protein and mineral content helps maintain quality stability and variety of aromas.
Like gifts given by heaven, the terrain, soil and "special" climate of the "golden fruit land" have created the characteristic deliciousness of Khe Sanh coffee. Khe Sanh coffee trees grown at the lowest altitude (450 - 680m) compared to Son La (600 - 800m) and Di Linh (1000 - 1500m) have their own advantages: coffee trees grown in low-lying areas must synthesize more caffeine to fight insects, while coffee grown in high-lying areas limits the risk of insect attacks, so there is less caffeine. And caffeine is a "delicious substance", creating about 10% of the bitterness of coffee and is the main substance, creating a nerve-activating effect. The high day and night temperature difference in Khe Sanh and Huong Phung areas helps coffee trees bear fruit better and accumulate fragrances and dry matter during the ripening period.
Due to its characteristic deliciousness, Khe Sanh coffee has been in the top of many coffee quality competitions in the country and won many high prizes at international competitions. At the AVPA international competition in Paris, France in 2022, Khe Sanh Arabica coffee won the second prize in the "Coffees Roasted at Origin" category, surpassing many competitors from countries with long-standing coffee traditions. Arabica coffee grown in an organic direction in Huong Phung was selected into the Top 20 most unique Arabica coffee samples in the Pacific Rim in 2022, and is also the only Vietnamese brand in this collection; Pun Coffee won the first prize for Arabica coffee 4 times at the Vietnamese Specialty Coffee Competition; Madam Huong coffee won the Liberica Southeast Asia championship in 2024; Bru - Van Kieu coffee won the Liberica Southeast Asia gold medal in 2024, won the Liberica Vietnam 3rd prize in 2025... Khe Sanh coffee has been exported to the United States and Europe. Notably, recently, Liberica coffee (ie jackfruit coffee) of Ms. Tran Mai Huong in Huong Phung (Madam Huong) tested by a Japanese company showed high flavor quality, sweet aftertaste, and health benefits; polyphenol content of 270 mg/100ml, very high compared to the average standard of 150 - 220 mg/100ml. Polyphenols are antioxidants (neutralizing free radicals that harm cells), helping to reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease... The cultivation process of Madam Huong coffee is assessed as very clean, meeting Japanese food safety standards (one of the most strict standards globally), suitable for commercial export, especially the Japanese, Korean, EU markets...
To develop Khe Sanh coffee and bring even higher added values to the country's socio-economy, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Khe Sanh coffee, you can give some thoughts and proposals to contribute to suggesting and together bringing Khe Sanh coffee worthy of its 100-year history on the land that is being chosen by history as the gateway and bridgehead of a potential economic corridor to reach prosperity.
For Khe Sanh coffee to develop worthy of its 100-year history on the bridgehead land of the East-West Economic Corridor, there is much work to be done, requiring due attention from all levels (province and commune), and functional departments and agencies.
First, there needs to be a long-term development strategy for Khe Sanh coffee. Currently, the entire Huong Hoa (old) region has about 3,800 hectares of coffee, according to the Quang Tri (old) province's Plan for the period 2021 - 2030, vision to 2050 approved by Decision No. 1737/QD-TTg dated December 29, 2023 of the Prime Minister, the coffee area of the province must reach about 5,000 hectares. If the province of Quang Tri (new) advocates expanding the coffee area further (higher than the planned number), it is still feasible. Like in Lam Dong, people still rent to grow coffee under the forest, but in the Huong Hoa (old) region, there are still quite a lot of forests and hills. Pay attention to the seed stage: selecting seeds, propagating seeds to create high-yield, delicious quality coffee varieties, adapting to soil and climate. Calculate the planting area of Arabica (tea coffee), Liberica ( jackfruit coffee) and Robusta (vối coffee) varieties in proportions suitable to each For example, tea coffee should be grown in suitable places such as Khe Sanh, Huong Phung and partly in Tan Lap, all accounting for 70% of the area. Jackfruit coffee should be grown in places with many ethnic minorities in 4 communes in the Huong Hoa (old) region that grow coffee (including Khe Sanh, Huong Phung, A Doi, Tan Lap), accounting for 20% of the area. The remaining Vối coffee is grown on a moderate area in A Doi. The strategic direction, with short-term and long-term strengths of Khe Sanh coffee, is still specialty coffee: original, pure coffee, not mixed like commercial coffee. It is necessary to preserve and improve the quality of Khe Sanh specialty coffee to spread the "reputation" already available in the market.
Second, build a strong enough Khe Sanh coffee brand, attractive domestically and internationally, bringing Khe Sanh coffee to supermarkets, airport terminals, tourist attractions, resorts... in the country and abroad. Manage and widely promote the "Khe Sanh" Geographical Indication for Khe Sanh coffee products (referred to as Khe Sanh Coffee Geographical Indication). The Khe Sanh Coffee Geographical Indication is only protected for Arabica coffee products, not yet protected for Liberica coffee products. Currently, Liberica coffee has been priced well in the market, so it has developed again in Huong Hoa (old) after a period of near absence. In the coming time, it is necessary to consider and register to supplement the Geographical Indication for Liberica coffee.
Third, it is necessary to build a professional communication strategy for Khe Sanh coffee. This professionalism is reflected in many aspects such as: Building a unique communication message (promoting the characteristic deliciousness of Khe Sanh coffee, explaining why there is this deliciousness... ); choosing a different story to tell and knowing how to tell a story that attracts listeners (for example, telling the story of Eugène Poilane being attached to land and crops in Khe Sanh, especially telling this story combined with brewing and enjoying Khe Sanh coffee in the space next to Eugène Poilane's grave in Khe Sanh... ); focusing communication through many channels such as newspapers, social networks, digital platforms; communication through Khe Sanh coffee tours... Focusing on communication with international tourists, communication abroad.
After the revolution to rearrange the country, Khe Sanh became the name of a commune. Meanwhile, coffee trees are grown in most communes on the vast basalt land of the old Huong Hoa district. Some communes with leading coffee area and output in this land such as Huong Phung, Tan Lap have had "thoughts" about why my commune grows a lot of coffee but the name is still just Khe Sanh coffee. Can you say something about this "thought"?
Khe Sanh is currently the name of a new commune, including Khe Sanh town and Tan Hop, Huc, Huong Tan communes, Huong Hoa district (old) merged. Administratively, Khe Sanh is just the name of a commune. But historically, Khe Sanh is a famous name, with a "sound" that transcends time and transcends geographical space. The Khe Sanh coffee geographical indication was certified by the Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Science and Technology according to Decision No. 699/QD-SHTT dated November 4, 2025. On November 18, 2025, the People's Committee of Khe Sanh commune, the unit managing the Khe Sanh coffee geographical indication, held a conference to announce and receive the certificate of geographical indication protection. This geographical indication protection area includes 4 communes: Khe Sanh, Huong Phung, Tan Lap, A Doi, this has been discussed and agreed upon by these 4 communes when building the geographical indication dossier. Thus, the Khe Sanh coffee geographical indication has Anyone with "thoughts" will surely be relieved when they understand the Khe Sanh Coffee Geographical Indication profile. The name "Khe Sanh" recalls the place where the coffee tree was first planted by Eugène Poilane. The name "Khe Sanh" helps build a strong brand for Khe Sanh coffee. And the name "Khe Sanh" deserves to become a global keyword, in the era of integration and prosperous development.
