I was born and raised in Tra Linh – where the back leans on the mountain, the hands cling to the rocks, the feet walk on the forest. Each ginseng root I plant is not only a precious life, but also the result of many years of exposure to the sun and dew, counting each drop of morning dew, watching for each frost.
Hard work? Yes. But what worries me the most is a product called “national treasure”, but Vietnamese people know too little about it. Not everyone knows that this ginseng only grows in the Ngoc Linh range, cannot be grown elsewhere, and not everyone believes that it is precious, it is good, it deserves to be cherished like this motherland.
Ngoc Linh – not just ginseng, but the pride of forest keepers
We – ginseng growers – do not just keep a tree. We keep the forest, keep the mountain, keep the profession. Each basket of ginseng carried down the mountain is the sweat, the aspiration, the future of an entire generation.
But what makes me sad is: on the street, online, in the supermarket… people talk about Korean ginseng, American ginseng, Tibetan cordyceps… a lot. What about Ngoc Linh ginseng? Few people know. Few people believe. Few people learn.
Ngoc Linh ginseng is Vietnamese but many Vietnamese people do not know what it looks like.
Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival – 7th time, 2025: not just a festival, but a big call
This year, the 7th Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival takes place from August 1 to 3, with the theme: “Ngoc Linh – The Era of Rising”. I listen and feel my heart flutter. Not because the festival is fun, because there are guests, there is music. But because finally, our ginseng has the opportunity to step out of the forest, out of small markets, to reach the people of the whole country – and who knows, reach the world.
That rising is not something lofty. It begins with each Vietnamese person knowing and believing that: our country has a precious ginseng species, worthy of being called a national treasure.
The mission is not for anyone – to bring Vietnamese ginseng far and wide, with kindness and understanding
We grow, care for, and preserve. But we cannot do it alone. We need businesses that dare to invest. We need scientists to accompany us. We need consumers to understand and support us. We need the media to bring ginseng to light, instead of leaving it quietly in the forest.
We are not afraid of difficulties, we are not afraid of hardship. But what we fear most is that one day, Vietnamese ginseng will be praised by the world, while Vietnamese people remain indifferent.
Ngoc Linh – not just ginseng, but proudly bearing the name of Vietnam
Ngoc Linh ginseng does not need jewelry to become precious. It is precious because it is itself – born from the high mountains, living on the mist of the forest, and growing thanks to the hands of the Vietnamese. As long as the Vietnamese look at it with the right respect, the world will have to look up.
We do not just grow ginseng. We are preserving a part of the country’s core. And the mission of the festival seasons, of each ginseng root that grows – is to bring that core out of the mountains, to every Vietnamese hand, every Vietnamese soul. And further – to the whole world.
About the 2025 Annual Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival
The 7th Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival – August 1 to 3, 2025
Location: Village 1, Tra Mai Commune, Nam Tra My District
Theme: “Ngoc Linh – The Era of Growth”
I – a ginseng grower – hope you will come. Not only to see, to take pictures. But also to listen to the sound of the forest, to understand why this ginseng plant deserves to be cherished by the whole nation.
