Young people return to the top of the mountain
In October, Mau Son began to get cold. The road is winding like a silk strip in the misty clouds. After a few phone calls, I stopped in front of a small house in the middle of the hillside of Bo Plim, Mau Son commune.
Welcoming me was Mr. Hoang Phuc Thang, a 9X guy with a strong figure and a strong scent of lemon plastic in his hands.
"Don't think I am a legitimate farmer, I have two degrees, one college, one university! The day I decided to go to Mau Son, everyone said I was crazy.
But seeing the agricultural products of my hometown as good without any output, I feel so sorry!, Mr. Thang laughed gently, opening the story amidst the smoke of a cup of hot tea on the top of Mau Son, made from herbal leaves grown behind the house.
Thang took me through the green forest lemon garden. The lemon is small, with rough skin and a spicy aroma.
"In the past, people only picked and sold fresh, now I make dried apricot trees, lemon and salt, soaked in pickled bamboo shoots, chili, and leafy wine," he said.
Since 2020, Mau Son Ecological Agricultural Cooperative founded by him has connected more than 30 households, expanding the growing area to over 50 hectares, with a stable output of 20 tons per year.
His products such as Mau Son wild lemon apricot, A Mui leaf alcohol, and sticky-dried salted forest lemons have all achieved 3-star OCOP.
OCOP is a mirror, helping me to be more methodical. Now, 90% of the goods are sold online, sent throughout Vietnam. From the mountain, goods still reach consumers, he said, a proud voice.
After leaving Bo Plim, I continued to go higher, to another facility also located halfway up the mountain. The person I appointed was Nguyen Hoang Hung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mau Son Green entrancerance Joint Stock Company.
He appeared with a quick smile and a confident demeanor of a person who has been a bank employee for 10 years.
I used to have a stable job in Lang Son and Bac Ninh, but every time I went to Mau Son, seeing Dao people growing precious medicinal herbs and selling them for free, I was always determined, Hung shared.
He said that the name "The entrance to Mau Son xanh" is not only a brand, but also a philosophy "it is a gateway to nature, an entrance to indigenous knowledge, and a path for highland products to step out into the world".
In 2024, Mr. Hung decided to establish a company, starting with collecting ancient medicine from the Dao people, then collaborating with the Institute of medicinal herbs (Ministry of Health) to standardize the growing area and production process.
I dont want to do it by hand. I want Mau Son medicinal herb to be processed with the right content, inspected, and packaged as beautifully as any product in the world, he said.
As a result, in 2025, his company had 6 products with 3-star OCOP including Forest Lemon Honey Apricot, Sam Nam Hoa Tea, Sam Nam Green Tea - Ha Thu Ong Vung mysterious Apricot...
Currently, the company sells an average of 400-500 products per month, through agents, online and travel. But for him, that number is just the beginning.
"I want to build a medicinal herb area associated with tourism. Tourists coming to Mau Son not only see the clouds, but also visit the medicinal garden, learn about Dao medicine, and make your own Sam Nam tea, he said, his eyes sparkling when mentioning his future plans.
The future of those who "left the city and returned to the forest"
Mr. Hoang Vinh Hung - Chairman of Mau Son Commune People's Committee said that with geographical and climatic advantages, Mau Son currently has a lot of potential for development, especially in medicinal herbs. The fact that young people dare to go back to the mountains to bring Mau Son's products downstream is remarkable.
The leader said that the commune is always ready to support cooperatives and pharmaceutical and agricultural product enterprises in expanding their scale and developing the area to contribute to bringing agricultural products further and higher.
"We hope to have more support from the province and from drug development programs. Because when people can live well thanks to lemongrass and ginseng, they will keep the forest and the green color, Hung said before the breakup.
In the afternoon, the clouds covered the top of the mountain. Below, the lemon beds and medicinal beds are tilted in the wind.
We suddenly thought, "the way to Mau Son" is not really just a road, but an entrance to the green dreams of young people who have chosen to stay with the land, with the forest, with the belief that success is not only in the city.
