"Sơn Tây" is a place name that first appeared in 1469. During the Lê Cảnh Hưng period (1740-1786), the Sơn Tây administrative centre was located in Mông Phụ commune (now part of Đường Lâm, Sơn Tây town). Đường Lâm was historically associated with names like "Kẻ Mía", "Phố Mía", "Ấp hai Vua" (Phùng Hưng and Ngô Quyền), which still retain historical traces such as Mía pagoda and Mía market to this day. The local chicken breed associated with the name "Mía" has long been known as "Mía" chickens. The National Institute of Animal Sciences has confirmed that the "Mía" chickens breed has been domesticated for a long time, capable of rapid growth, and produces delicious meat and eggs. In 2005, the "Mía" chickens breed was recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as a rare genetic resource that needs to be preserved, alongside other Vietnamese breeds such as Hồ chickens, Đông Tảo chickens, Tè chickens và Tre chickens. In the perceptions of the people of Sơn Tây in the past, "Mía" chickens was a precious product embodying the prosperity and sufficiency of each family and was only used during Tết or village festivals to offer to ancestors. Today, cultural activities associated with "Mía" chickens in Sơn Tây continue to be practised. At the Mông Phụ village festival, held every spring, the traditional "bát cống" procession must include 24 "chicken plates", each with a tray of "sticky rice" and a "Mía chicken dish".

Sơn Tây roosters have reddish-purple feathers (similar to the colour of a ripe plum); their heads and bodies are a brownish-red colour; their wings and tails have some black coloration. Their legs are yellow; there is a red stripe running from the top to the toe on the outside of the shank. The thighs and breast are firm. Thigh meat: firm, with a thin layer of fat; when boiled, it has a strong aroma and sweet taste; Lipid: ≤ 5.0%; Aspartic Acid: ≥ 16.6 g/kg; Valine: ≥ 10.0 g/kg; Glutamic Acid: ≥ 29.6 g/kg. Breast meat: Lipid: ≤ 5.5%; Aspartic Acid: ≥ 16.6 g/kg; Valine: ≥ 11.4 g/kg; Glutamic Acid: ≥ 29.3 g/kg.
Sơn Tây layer chicken has short feathers, tightly pressed against its body, with a colour resembling dried banana leaves and a tail with black markings. The thighs and breasts are firm. Thigh meat: Firm, with thin fat; when boiled, it has a strong aroma and sweet taste; Lipid: ≤ 5.0%; Aspartic Acid: ≥ 16.6 g/kg; Valine: ≥ 11.8 g/kg; Glutamic Acid: ≥ 31.0 g/kg. Breast meat: Lipid: ≤ 5.5%; Aspartic Acid: ≥ 16.6 g/kg; Valine: ≥ 11.8 g/kg; Glutamic Acid: ≥ 31.0 g/kg.

The specific characteristics and qualities of Sơn Tây "Mía" chickens derive from the unique conditions of the geographical area. The geographical region has distinct natural features that help form the unique traits of chickens in this area, such as: hilly terrain, an absolute altitude of 10-65 meters, a slope gradient of 10-30 degrees, a temperature of 24.6°C, rainfall of 1,380 mm per year, and humidity of 82%; the soil consists of types that share common characteristics of being rich in iron and aluminium, with a reddish-brown colour due to the presence of iron oxides, also known as laterite. This geographical area is also rich in underground water resources, which have good quantity and quality, extracted at depths of 5-10 meters and naturally filtered through clean laterite layers that are rich in minerals.
In addition to the two groups of genetic factors (breeds) and natural conditions, the unique quality of Sơn Tây "Mía" chickens is related to the traditional husbandry practices that have been carried out for a long time by the local people. Residents in the geographical area regularly conserve and select the "Mía" chickens lineage from their grandparent chickens and parent chickens to produce offspring for commercial farming under the standard isolation of one grandparent chickens per coop and one to two parent chickens per coop. The purebred "Mía" chicks, at one day old, have uniformly opaque white feathers. Roosters, when mature, have reddish-brown feathers (similar to the colour of a ripe plum); their heads and bodies are brownish-red; the wings and tail have black mixed in; their legs are yellow; and there is a red stripe running from the top of the leg to the toe. Hens, when mature, have short, closely fitted body feathers, a dry banana leaf colour, with a black-tipped tail. During rearing, any commercial chickens that have a standard appearance deviating from "Mía" will be culled from the flock. The rearing period for "Mía" chickens in Sơn Tây is a minimum of 150 days per batch, divided into two stages: a 70-day intensive rearing stage; and a natural environment grazing stage, with a minimum rearing time of 80 days onward, using a combination of commercial feed, agricultural products, and natural feed. The secret to raising "Mía" chickens for the people of Sơn Tây lies in the mixing of feed and processing feed from agricultural products during the grazing stage. During the 70 to 120-day age range, the chickens will be fed according to a formula of one-third commercial feed and two-thirds feed from agricultural products (boiled/soaked corn, soaked rice grains, untreated grains/corn, rice bran, large leaf tea leaves) and natural feed (grass, leaves, insects, etc. from gardens). From 120 to 150 days of age, Sơn Tây "Mía" chickens are fed entirely on agricultural products (boiled/soaked corn, soaked rice grains, untreated grains/corn, rice bran) and natural feed (grass, leaves, insects, etc. from gardens).
The geographical area includes the communes of Cổ Đông, Đường Lâm, Kim Sơn, Sơn Đông, Thanh Mỹ, Xuân Sơn, and the wards of Phú Thịnh, Trung Hưng, Trung Sơn Trầm, Viên Sơn, Xuân Khanh in Sơn Tây town, Hà Nội city.

Source: Bảo hộ chỉ dẫn địa lý “Sơn Tây” cho sản phẩm gà mía

Translator: Nguyễn Hải Phong