Experts Gather at World Tea Fest for a Dialogue on Tea: Tea Will Continue to Be a Bridge Bringing Health, Culture, Dialogue, Education and Prosperity to Communities

On the morning of 6 December, as part of the International Tea Festival 2025, the Tea Summit was held at Tea Resort Prenn (Da Lat), bringing together professors, artists, association chairs and many respected experts from Vietnam and abroad. The discussion sessions offered multidimensional perspectives spanning culture, economics and in-depth research, helping to shape the development strategy of Vietnam's tea industry in the period ahead.

The programme brought together leading speakers from many fields, from tea studies, culture, medicine and economics to international diplomacy. Among them were Mr. Hoang Vinh Long – Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association; Specialist Doctor (Level I) Tran Ngo Phuc Quan – Chief Operating Officer of Hue International General Hospital; Dr. Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung – Deputy Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre; tea scholar Trinh Quang Dung; and other renowned scholars and artists…

Delivering the opening remarks, Mr. Mori Kazuki – CEO of Lam Dong Tea Joint Stock Company – said that this year's summit was honoured to welcome leading experts working at the forefront of many fields: medicine, academia, diplomacy, the tea industry, cultural research, the arts, finance… All had gathered here with one thing in common – a love of and interest in tea. A forum bringing together such a diverse range of experts from so many sectors around a single theme, "tea", is an extremely valuable opportunity – not only for Vietnam but for the world.

Mr. Mori also shared that, through his work between Japan, Vietnam and many other countries, he has come to realise ever more deeply that tea carries a remarkable power – the power to connect people with one another. The bonds and encounters that we might never have had without tea have all become cherished memories. Despite differences in culture, religion, outlook or values, simply sitting down together over a cup of tea allows people to open their hearts, listen and understand one another. That is why he has always believed that tea is a drink that carries the spirit of peace.

Throughout history, tea has helped create spaces for dialogue and has been a symbol of understanding and of friendship that transcends national borders. This is a shared cultural heritage that humanity has preserved together. Today, however, those values are no longer sustained as naturally as they once were.

Climate change, shrinking rural populations, young people leaving agriculture and the upheavals of our times are all causing tea culture, tea knowledge and the connecting power of tea to gradually fade.

For this reason, according to Mr. Mori, those living in this era have a responsibility to carry on, renew and pass on the value of tea in ways suited to the future. This requires us to: convey, with refinement, the very best of tea; preserve tea culture and hand it down to future generations; and, above all, create an environment in which tea growers and makers can live well and be happy, both materially and spiritually.

When these efforts are connected, he believes tea will continue to be a bridge bringing health, culture, dialogue, education and prosperity to communities – opening the way towards a more peaceful and sustainable future.

The Tea Summit comprised two in-depth sessions: a morning session themed "Tea – the Drink of the Future" and an afternoon session, "5,000 Years of Vietnamese Tea Civilisation – Research, Authors and Works".

In the morning session, speakers and guests focused on analysing the prospects of the Vietnamese and global tea industries, identifying new consumer trends and the economic value of tea products, and discussing the increasingly important role of tea in health, trade and modern cultural diplomacy.

Under the topics "Tea – a Choice for a Healthy and Beautiful Future" and "Tea Diplomacy – a Global Cultural Symbol", Dr. Pham Hong Ha, MD, tea scholar Trinh Quang Dung, Dr. Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung and others presented a comprehensive view of tea production and consumption in Vietnam and internationally, pointing out new development opportunities for the Vietnamese tea industry. The speakers also analysed the health effects of tea, in particular the link between tea-drinking habits and the longevity of the Japanese.

The morning session also included a discussion titled "Tea Driving Cooperation for Sustainable Development", in which experts explored topics such as regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, carbon neutrality, the management of ancient tea forests, sustainable farming, green finance and the opportunities of the green economy. Successful international models and forecasts for the future of tea agriculture in the context of climate change were also shared.

That afternoon, the Tea Summit opened a journey into the history and civilisational value of Vietnamese tea with the session "5,000 Years of Vietnamese Tea Civilisation – Research, Authors and Works", featuring a series of activities that were both scholarly and artistic. The highlight was the introduction and launch of the work "5,000 Years of Vietnamese Tea Civilisation" by author Trinh Quang Dung, which traces the culture of tea drinking across more than 5,000 years of Vietnamese history.

This 844-page work is regarded as an important academic milestone, helping to affirm the position of Vietnamese tea on the world tea map. Alongside it, a dedicated exhibition space was opened, displaying manuscripts and research materials and offering books as gifts to attendees.

In particular, artist Trinh Quang Vu unveiled his painting series History of Vietnamese Tea, recreating the journey of the tea plant through the ages from an artistic perspective. His works add an emotional dimension to the picture of tea civilisation, blending visual art with cultural documentation.

Notably, the research work The Origins of the World's Tea by Japanese scholar Matsushita Satoru – the fruit of more than 70 years of surveys and fieldwork across tea regions worldwide – was also introduced at the event. In addition, the author's authorised representative, Mr. Goto Hirosato, presented the Organising Committee of the International Tea Festival 2025 with a precious collection of photographs documenting the entire seven-decade research journey. This gift not only holds rare documentary value but also reflects a deep academic connection between Vietnam and the global tea research community.

The insights shared from the fields of research, art, agriculture and culture are expected to create a comprehensive picture of the heritage journey and future of Vietnamese tea. With its multidimensional content and the participation of many leading speakers, the Tea Summit became an important highlight of the International Tea Festival 2025, while opening up new approaches to the sustainable development of the tea industry in the context of globalisation.

Thanh Binh

An Ninh Tien Te

Source: DOIDEP