Morning in Tua Chua begins with a blanket of mist draped over the mountains. Amid the silence of cloud and sky, Nguyen My Linh - a petite woman born in the 1990s - gently cradles the ancient Shan Tuyet tea buds, as if holding the memories of her homeland in her hands.

Next to her basket of freshly picked leaves is a cold bottle of Number 1 energy drink, its surface beaded with morning dew. It’s a constant companion during her early mountain tea harvests.

She twists the cap - pop - a soft sound echoing through the quiet. A sip of chilled Number 1 revives her. She feels awakened, recharged, ready to embrace the day with full spirit.

In a remote, underdeveloped region, Linh chooses to stay. She plants seeds of hope with her own hands, turning the dream of “bringing Vietnamese tea to the global stage” into a grounded, blooming reality.

But Nguyen My Linh’s story isn’t just about business. It’s about a spirit “resilient in passion, daring to advance, daring to conquer” - a path of unwavering belief, despite the odds.

Starting a business from a classroom: When youthful fire burns in the mountains

Linh inherited her love for Shan Tuyet tea from her father. She grew up among tea-scented breezes, sunshine, and the murmuring streams of her village.

“Most of my friends stayed in Hanoi for jobs, but I went home,” Linh laughs, remembering 2018, when she hadn’t yet received her diploma from Vietnam National University of Agriculture.

On the bus back to Tua Chua, she sat quietly, staring at foggy windows, white clouds clinging to mountain tops. Somewhere along the winding road, gripped by uncertainty, she held a cold bottle of Number 1 tightly in her hand - the cold spreading through her fingers, grounding her. “That moment, I thought: If not now, then never,” Linh recalls.

“I only had what I’d learned in school, some savings, and... my parents’ land deed mortgaged at the bank. But I knew if I didn’t act, the Shan Tuyet trees of my homeland might vanish,” Linh confides.

It wasn’t just about saving a plant. It was about saving memories - preserving the soul of a region.

“I didn’t want to see those centuries-old trees cut down. They’re like old friends, deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the Hmong community.”

In 2018, the Tua Chua tea region was fading. Traders forced down prices. Locals began cutting down tea trees.

And in the middle of it all, a young Kinh woman wanted to “start over from scratch” in a community that traditionally kept to itself. The challenge was not just economic, but personal - it was about trust.

Daring to dream, daring to conquer: Energized and resilient in passion

In Tua Chua, over 80% of the population is Hmong. To earn their trust, Linh walked miles each day, stayed overnight in remote villages, ate roasted corn, picked tea, and listened to their stories.

“People didn’t trust me at first. But when they saw I stayed, worked with them, shared everything - they started to open up. That’s when I learned: trust can change everything,” Linh says.

In the early days, she helped locals harvest and dry every batch of tea, logging moisture levels and tasting notes.

At night, the light from her tiny factory glowed through its wooden cracks, a young woman hunched over, surrounded by steam from freshly dried tea.

There were nights she nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Her mind spun with numbers, tea drying techniques, and debt.

And in those moments, she didn’t reach for her phone. She reached for the cold bottle of Number 1 beside her desk. For Linh, it wasn’t just a drink - it was a symbol. A reminder that belief fuels strength. That challenges are just steps toward dreams.

Starting a business is like climbing a mountain: the higher you go, the more it hurts. But if you stop, you’ll never see the sunrise.

Linh’s sunrise is a vision - her belief that every day of effort kindles a brighter tomorrow.

Tea harvests begin before dawn, around 4:30 AM. Roads glisten with dew, her motorbike echoing through the dark.

“I always bring Number 1 with me,” Linh smiles. “Just one sip and I’m energized - my body awakens, and my heart’s fire blazes again.”

Step by step, her work bore fruit. In 2019, she launched the Diep Thanh Tra brand - Ancient Shan Tuyet Tea from Tua Chua. Three of her products earned the 3-star OCOP rating.

In 2025, Diep Thanh Tra’s Ancient Shan Tuyet Green Tea became the first product in Dien Bien Province to be honored by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a National Outstanding Rural Industrial Product.

From a few hectares, Linh’s tea area has grown to nearly 200 hectares. She partners with over 1,000 households, creating jobs for hundreds of locals.

Her tea is now sold across Vietnam and exported to China and Singapore, with applications pending for the US and Australia.

Beyond the numbers, Linh was honored with the “Resilient in Passion” award by the Vietnam Young Talent Support Fund - recognizing young individuals who serve the community with relentless dedication.

When passion means more than personal success

Today, Linh doesn’t measure success in revenue - but in smiles, in the eyes of highland children walking to school.

“I’m happiest when I see people no longer cutting down tea trees,” she says. “Now, tea trees are symbols of hope.”

She’s now expanding production, investing in organic methods, and developing an agri-eco tourism model.

Her dream: to make Tua Chua’s Shan Tuyet tea a national treasure - a brand carrying the essence of Vietnam to the world.

Her journey mirrors that of Den, the rapper and Number 1 brand ambassador, who spent 15 years chasing musical passion against all odds.

Together, they embody the Number 1 spirit: Daring to dream, daring to conquer, and never giving up.

Whether in a lab, a factory, or on the rocky slopes of Tua Chua, that fire still burns. Because the Number 1 spirit lives not only in a bottle - but in the Vietnamese soul that strives, endures, and always moves forward.

And amid the white clouds of Tua Chua’s vast mountains, a young woman still carries a bottle of Number 1 by her tea basket - energized, resilient in passion, pressing on to fulfill her dream.

Dai Nam