From centuries-old Shan Tuyet tea trees on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range to the sprawling tea-growing areas in Tan Uyen, Binh Lu, and Sin Ho, tea has become one of Lai Chau 's most important agricultural products. After more than half a century of development, the local tea industry is facing a great opportunity to shift from increasing production volume to enhancing value, building brands, and conquering demanding markets.
Than Uyên Tea Joint Stock Company is one of the producers of Shan Tuyet specialty tea. Photo: Duc Binh.
Lai Chau is blessed with mountainous terrain, a cool climate year-round, and a diverse ecosystem. It boasts 7 of the 10 highest mountain peaks in Vietnam, creating distinct microclimates that are highly suitable for tea cultivation.
It is no coincidence that tea has been identified as one of the province's key industrial crops. The altitude of 900 to over 2,500 meters above sea level, along with mineral-rich soil and large day-night temperature differences, allows tea buds to accumulate a higher aroma and active ingredient content compared to other tea-growing regions.
Lai Chau's most outstanding advantage lies in its resource of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees. The province currently has over 17,000 ancient tea trees distributed across the communes of Binh Lu, Khun Ha, Giang Ma, Ta Leng, Mo Si San, Si Lo Lau, and Xa De Phin. Many trees are hundreds, even thousands of years old, reaching heights of several tens of meters, with trunks so large that two people cannot encircle them.
This is not only a valuable genetic resource but also the foundation for developing specialty teas that bear the unique mark of the Lai Chau highlands.
While ancient tea trees create a unique identity, commercial tea-growing regions are playing a driving role in economic development. After Lai Chau province was re-established in 2004, the locality identified tea as a strategic crop and implemented many projects to develop concentrated raw material areas.
Tea plantations stretch across many villages in Tan Uyen commune (Lai Chau). Photo: Duc Binh.
From traditional Shan tea plantations, the province has gradually introduced high-quality tea varieties such as Kim Tuyen, PH8, and improved Shan Tuyet, creating a foundation for the transformation from small-scale production to large-scale commercial production.
To date, the province has over 10,500 hectares of tea plantations, of which more than 8,000 hectares are in commercial production. The largest concentrated tea growing area is located in Tan Uyen commune with over 3,600 hectares, followed by Binh Lu with nearly 2,400 hectares, along with other important production areas in Sin Ho, Phong Tho, and the former Lai Chau city area.
Each year, the tea-growing regions supply approximately 60,000 tons of fresh tea leaves to the processing plant system. From this raw material, Lai Chau produces about 12,500 tons of finished tea products, including green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. Notably, exports account for almost all of this production, at approximately 12,440 tons per year.
According to Ms. Truong Thi Nhan, Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Lai Chau province, in recent years the province has issued many mechanisms and policies to support the development of concentrated tea growing areas, from seeds, fertilizers, land reclamation and preparation to the transfer of production techniques. The work of disseminating information and encouraging people to convert inefficient crop areas to tea cultivation has been carried out synchronously, contributing to the formation of concentrated commodity production areas.
In addition, technical training programs and guidance on production according to VietGAP, RA, and organic standards have been widely implemented to change the farming practices of the people. The relevant departments also regularly check the quality of seeds, guide localities to comply with safe production processes, and gradually improve the quality of tea.
Lai Chau has enormous potential for tea development, but regional planning solutions are needed to enhance its value. Photo: Duc Binh.
However, behind these growth figures, there are still many concerns. The majority of exported tea products are currently in raw or semi-processed form, with common selling prices of only 2-3 USD/kg. Meanwhile, if processed further and sold as specialty tea, gift tea, or high-end products, their value could increase many times over.
The gap between the value of raw materials and the value of the final product shows that the Lai Chau tea industry still has great potential for development. In recent years, many businesses have begun investing in the high-end segment. Product lines such as Sencha Tam Duong, Dong Phuong My Nhan, Shan Tuyet Tan Uyen, Hoang Tra Shan Mo Si San, and premium Oolong tea are gradually establishing a foothold in the market.
In particular, Dong Phuong My Nhan tea is produced using a special process with natural ingredients from green tea leaves, creating a distinctive honey aroma. Meanwhile, Shan Mo Si San Huang tea is made from ancient tea trees growing at an altitude of over 2,000m, possessing a unique fruity and herbal flavor of the mountain forest.
To date, the province has 27 tea products that have received OCOP certification from 3 stars and above. The Tan Uyen and Tam Duong tea brands have been protected, contributing to enhancing the reputation and competitiveness of the products in the market.
According to Mr. Hoang Vinh Long, Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association, Lai Chau is one of the localities with the greatest potential for tea development in the country thanks to its large-scale clusters of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees. To effectively exploit this advantage, the locality needs to plan concentrated raw material areas associated with the preservation of ancient tea trees, while combining it with the development of ecotourism and experiential tourism.
This is also a suitable direction in the context of the locality implementing a two-tiered government model. The formation of new communes with larger areas will create favorable conditions for planning concentrated production zones, attracting businesses to invest, and building sustainable supply chains.
Currently, tea products from Lai Chau are mainly exported to the Middle East. Photo: Duc Binh.
According to the Resolution on the development of commercial agriculture and medicinal plants towards a green economy for the period 2026-2030, Lai Chau aims to invest in intensive cultivation and improve the quality of over 10,000 hectares of tea, of which approximately 2,500 hectares will be produced in a green and organic manner. The province also aims to grant planting area codes to all concentrated production areas to meet the traceability requirements of export markets.
The most important orientation for Lai Chau in the coming period is to standardize tea raw material areas, expand production areas according to safety standards, strengthen linkages between businesses and people, and promote deep processing. This will be the foundation for increasing added value, building the Lai Chau tea brand, and gradually participating more deeply in supply chains serving exports.
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/dinh-vi-gia-tri-che-lai-chau-d815491.html
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