The photograph of President Ho Chi Minh standing beside a coffee tree, once preserved by the Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and presented to the Vietnam Coffee Corporation 20 years ago, holds immense symbolic value—it has served as a powerful source of encouragement for the entire coffee sector to strive forward.
It was a warm winter morning on December 10, 1961—a day that the staff, workers, and residents of Phu Quy would never forget. On that day, President Ho Chi Minh visited Dong Hieu State Farm, one of the five major farms under the Ministry of State Farms at the time. At the farm’s stadium, he attended a rally joined by over ten thousand people, including workers, officials, and local residents, who had gathered eagerly to welcome him.
After the rally, President Ho Chi Minh toured the farm’s production facilities. Instead of riding the waiting Volga car, he chose to ride in the old GAZ-69 jeep with the license plate “BAA 827,” which belonged to the farm director. He was driven to visit the Nai Sinh production team (now known as the Dong Thanh team) and stopped by plot number 119, a Typica Arabica coffee field. In that plot stood tall black cassia trees with wide canopies providing shade for the coffee plants. It was harvest season, and the coffee cherries were bright red and heavy on the branches.
President Ho Chi Minh spoke with Comrade Huynh Son Thach, Secretary of the Party Committee, and Comrade Tran Kim Manh, Director of Dong Hieu Farm, about coffee varieties, yields, production volume, and costs. When told that the farm was cultivating all three types—Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica—he asked why the farm did not focus entirely on Arabica. He reminded the workers to improve productivity and reduce production costs.
President Ho Chi Minh gave a simple yet profound example: “If producing one hectare of coffee costs 1,400 dong (at that time, the cost of 1 kg of coffee was 7 dong), it can only be exchanged for one tractor. But if you reduce the cost to 700 dong, one hectare of coffee could buy two tractors.” He also advised the staff to study scientific and technical knowledge to increase production and boost coffee exports for the prosperity of the nation.
Half a century has passed, and following President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings, Vietnam’s coffee industry has made remarkable progress. This growth stands as a testament to the deep gratitude and boundless respect for him. December 10 has since been recognized as a historic and traditional day of Vietnam’s coffee industry.