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| Visitors learn more about Ngọc Ling ginseng at a farm in Nam Trà My district in Quảng Nam Province. The trade of ginseng among ethnic communities has been recognised as a National Heritage in term of ‘folk knowledge’. — VNS Photos Công Thành |
QUẢNG NAM — The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially recognised the ‘folk knowledge’ on Ngọc Linh Ginseng (Panax vietnamensis, or Vietnamese ginseng) of the central province’s Nam Trà My District, listing it as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Vice Chairman of the provincial people’s committee Hồ Quang Bửu said the recognition strongly confirmed the traditional trade, processing and plantation of the ginseng among ethnic groups living in the district, as a precious treasure.
He said the designation will help promote the cultural value of the herb, that has been preserved by generations, whose trade plays a key part in providing incomes for sustainable socio-economic development among ethic communities in the region.
Ngọc Linh ginseng is farmed on more than 1,600ha in seven communes at 1,400m above sea level, and in a forest canopy in Nam Trà My District, 90km away from Quảng Nam provincial Tam Kỳ City.
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| A root of Ngọc Linh ginseng on show in the monthly Ngọc Linh ginseng fair in the Nam Trà My district of Quảng Nam Province. |
The herb, grown both in Nam Trà My District in Quảng Nam Province and the Central Highlands Kon Tum’s Tu Mơ Rông District, has already been designated a National Brand.
In 2018, the ministry of science and technology and the Intellectual Property Agency of Việt Nam recognised the Geographical Indication (GI) of ‘Ngọc Linh’ for ginseng root products in the two provinces.
Ngọc Linh ginseng was first found in the late 1960s on Ngọc Linh Mountain in the middle of Quảng Nam and Kon Tum Provinces.
Quảng Nam Province has allocated 15,000ha for a ginseng development zone in the district for 2030.
Quảng Nam Province has listed the Ngọc Linh ginseng as one of eight precious and endangered flora genes including Ba Kích (poor man’s ginseng), pepper, cinnamon, large-size rattan and white corn in the provincial conservation programme.
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| A research centre on Ngọc Linh ginseng at an industrial park in Tam Kỳ City by Sâm Sâm Company. It’s the first research and production centre into the herb in Quảng Nam Province. |
Quảng Nam and the State-owned military group Viettel inked a strategic partnership in promotion of digital applications in ginseng development, including building a key ginseng nursing and sapling centre – which will supply from five to 10 million samplings each year.
Local industrial Thaco Group has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Chinese Sinopharm Group and partners in Jilin, China on the development of Ngọc Ling ginseng in Quảng Nam Province.
The province aims to produce 500 tonnes of fresh ginseng roots for production each year from 2027, to meet growing international demand.
The national herb will be exported to 20 countries over the world with an estimated turnover of US$500 million in 2031-35.
It plans to host the first ever international Ngọc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis, or Vietnamese ginseng) Festival this coming August. — VNS
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