Essence of highland villages: [2] Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli renowned far and wide

Famous near and far

Following National Highway 3B and crossing the majestic Ang Toong Pass, flanked by endless stretches of limestone mountains, the peaceful land of Con Minh in Thai Nguyen province gradually comes into view, with mountains above, rivers below, and fields winding gracefully like silk ribbons. From the land of the former Na Ri district, arrowroot plants took root, flowered, and formed tubers, making a name for Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli, now famous far and wide.

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The cool climate and freshwater sources have produced arrowroot tubers with exceptionally high starch content, a quality rarely found elsewhere. Thanks to these advantages, Con Minh people have long produced arrowroot vermicelli strands that are both chewy and crisp.

According to the elderly Nung people, arrowroot plants appeared in Con Minh more than 50 years ago. Initially, residents in Lung Vang and Ban Lai villages planted the crop mainly for food. In the early 1980s, several households from the lowlands who migrated to Con Minh began grinding arrowroot tubers into starch for sale. Over time, the starch was processed into vermicelli strands, marking the early formation of the local arrowroot vermicelli craft.

The arrowroot vermicelli craft in Con Minh has also gone through many ups and downs. From being used solely in daily meals, arrowroot vermicelli gradually became a packaged product commonly served at banquets and during festive and Lunar New Year occasions. In the past, vermicelli bundles were tied with bamboo strips, but they are now carefully packaged and distributed by traders to numerous provinces and cities.

In particular, over the past decade, the arrowroot vermicelli craft in Con Minh has flourished through the participation of cooperatives and household businesses. Ms. Hoang Thi Tong, whose family has nearly 20 years of experience in vermicelli making, said Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli has won over consumers thanks to its light, refreshing taste and soft yet chewy texture.

The secret behind this flavorful vermicelli lies in the starch, which is ground entirely from indigenous arrowroot tubers. The tubers are first ground to extract starch, which is then mixed with water and filtered multiple times to remove grit and impurities. The refined starch is spread into thin sheets, dried under the sun, and finally cut into vermicelli strands.

Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli has a slightly cloudy appearance rather than the bright white color seen in other types of vermicelli. When cooked, the strands are chewy and crisp, carrying the distinctive aroma of arrowroot tubers. What makes the difference is the traditional method of starch mixing and vermicelli sheet-making. Each household has its own techniques, yet all preserve the authentic flavor and essence of pure arrowroot starch.

Today, alongside machine-made vermicelli, dozens of households still produce vermicelli sheets entirely by hand. More importantly, the traditional vermicelli-making craft in Con Minh has not only endured but has also grown to new heights.

Historic milestone

Arriving in Con Minh today, tourists can feel the bustling atmosphere of vermicelli production. Alongside traditional vermicelli makers, many industrial production facilities have also emerged.

The product display area of Tai Hoan Cooperative was crowded with tourists when we arrived. Shelves were lined with attractively packaged varieties of arrowroot vermicelli. Ms. Ha Anh, a tourist from Bac Ninh, chose two boxes of premium vermicelli.

"I had heard about Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli before. Today, while passing through on the way to a wedding, I stopped to buy some to try. The vermicelli here is beautifully packaged and diverse," Ms. Ha Anh shared.

In recent years, Tai Hoan arrowroot vermicelli has emerged as a well-established brand. Its success story is also remarkable for this rural area, which still faces many hardships. Behind that story is a petite woman.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoan, Director of Tai Hoan Cooperative, said the cooperative was initially a small vermicelli workshop. At the time, she and her husband had to transport sacks of vermicelli themselves to rural markets for sale after production.

The biggest turning point came in 2018, when Tai Hoan Cooperative was officially established. The family boldly invested in machinery for vermicelli production. Within just a few years, thanks to State support, the quality, design, and packaging of the products improved significantly. In 2021, Tai Hoan arrowroot vermicelli was recognized as a 5-star OCOP product, paving the way for its entry into supermarkets and major domestic markets. However, the real export opportunity came when the former Bac Kan province organized a market survey trip to Europe.

At that time, Ms. Do Thi Minh Hoa, Vice Chairwoman of the Bac Kan Provincial People’s Committee, held discussions with the Embassy of Vietnam and the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, where she realized strong demand for arrowroot vermicelli among the Vietnamese community here.

Tai Hoan Cooperative was selected as the partner for exporting arrowroot vermicelli to the Czech Republic. However, the challenge was that its production capacity was still insufficient. The former Bac Kan province provided VND 2 billion in financial support to the cooperative for the purchase of machinery, equipment, and drying facilities. As a result, processing capacity increased dramatically from around 10 tons/year to more than 300 tons/year.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoan, the most difficult challenge at that time was meeting the strict standards set by foreign partners. From the initial preparations to the export of the first shipment took more than three months. In August 2020, Tai Hoan Cooperative exported its first 5.3-ton shipment of arrowroot vermicelli to the Czech Republic. Since then, the Cooperative has exported around 10 tons of vermicelli to the European market each year.

In 2024, Con Minh people gained further motivation when the locality was officially recognized as a craft village. The Con Minh arrowroot vermicelli craft village has around 50 households that regularly produce vermicelli.

Mr. Nong Van Huy, Head of the Economic Division of Con Minh Commune, said the commune currently has six OCOP-certified products rated three stars or higher, including one 5-star OCOP product. Most of the OCOP products are arrowroot vermicelli.

Con Minh commune currently has more than 60 hectares of arrowroot growing, with an average yield of 77 tons/hectare and a total output of over 4,600 tons. The commune is home to seven arrowroot starch processing facilities and 57 specialized vermicelli production establishments.

The biggest challenge at present is that Con Minh’s arrowroot tuber output reaches only around 4,600 tons/crop, while local processing facilities face an annual shortage of approximately 1,800 tons. Most of the additional raw materials must therefore be sourced from neighboring communes.

“Following the administrative merger, Con Minh commune now covers an area of more than 146.2 km², while agricultural and forestry land has expanded to over 15,452 hectares. This creates favorable conditions for the commune to further expand arrowroot cultivation areas and meet the growing demand for vermicelli processing materials in the coming years,” Mr. Nong Van Huy said.