Traditional tea hills become cultural meeting places

Changes from green tea hills

“In the past, people were only familiar with growing tea based on experience. Tea was mainly sold as fresh buds, the income was not worth much,” said Mr. Nguyen Bang Giang, a farmer who has devoted his whole life to tea, while his hands were nimbly tending each tea tree. He said that in recent years, his family has switched to growing organic tea, which is more difficult but much more valuable. Each year, they harvest nearly 5 tons of tea, with a revenue of 250 million VND, about 30% higher than traditional farming.

“Not only do I have income, I also feel more secure because the products are clean, safe, and trendy. Customers coming to the tea garden now not only buy tea, but also ask about how to grow and process it, and even ask to stay and experience a day as a tea picker,” Mr. Giang smiled gently.

Mr. Giang's story is just a small slice of La Bang's transformation picture. The entire commune currently has more than 1,079 hectares of commercial tea, with an average yield of 13.8 tons of fresh buds/hectare/year. Notably, 478.6 hectares, accounting for 42% of the area, have been produced according to VietGAP and organic standards. These numbers show a new production mindset: clean agriculture , aiming for a sustainable market.

In addition to individual households, the commune also has 16 cooperatives, of which 13 are specialized in tea. The cooperatives have become an "extended arm" in product consumption, creating a link from planting - processing - selling. Thanks to that, La Bang tea products are no longer limited to a few traditional types, but have herbal tea, tea bags, and dried tea. Many products meet 3-star and 4-star OCOP standards, enhancing the value of La Bang tea brand in the market.

Tea trees open the way

The crystal clear Cua Tu stream flows through the hillsides, the Kem stream babbles day and night, the Cau Da tea hills are green all year round…, all blend together to create an attractive natural picture. That is also the unique tourism potential that few tea regions have.

In recent years, many La Bang households have combined tea making with developing homestay, farmstay, and experiential tourism models. Tourists can participate in tea picking, tea drying, and enjoying a cup of hot tea right in the middle of the tea garden, or relax by the stream listening to the sound of flowing water and birds chirping. "Only by experiencing it like this can you fully appreciate the hard work of the tea maker, and also love the flavor of each green tea bud more," said Ms. Minh Hang, a tourist from Hanoi, after her experiential trip to La Bang.

However, this development is still modest. The scale of households doing tourism is still small, the products are not diversified, and the promotion work is slow. La Bang still needs a more systematic step to bring tea closely linked with community tourism.

Mr. Dang Thanh Tung, Chairman of the People's Committee of La Bang Commune, said: "We have identified tea as a key economic sector. However, if we only stop at producing fresh buds, it will be difficult to make a breakthrough. We need to improve quality, promote deep processing, build brands and combine tourism to create added value."

According to the plan, by 2030, the total tea area of the commune will remain stable at about 1,135 hectares. However, thanks to replacing old varieties with new varieties with high productivity and quality, the output of fresh buds is expected to reach 16 thousand tons. La Bang aims for 70% of the tea area to be certified VietGAP, 70% to have growing area codes, and the total value of the tea industry to reach over 650 billion VND. In particular, the locality expects to have at least one product achieving 5-star OCOP, and 3 or more products achieving 3-4-star OCOP.

Party Secretary Do Van Nguyen emphasized that a resolution on tea development has been issued with five specific groups of solutions: strengthening leadership and direction; perfecting production area planning, converting varieties; promoting the application of science and technology; promoting trade; mobilizing resources for infrastructure investment. At the same time, the commune also focuses on investing in internal transport, irrigation, and modern processing facilities. People are encouraged to participate in training, apply new technology, and link production with environmental protection.

The road ahead still has much to do, but the belief has been affirmed: the green tea buds at the foot of Tam Dao will not only bring a prosperous life to the people, but also become a source of pride, bringing the La Bang tea brand far and wide on the map of Vietnamese and world tea.

From traditional tea hills, La Bang has hundreds of hectares of organic tea, many OCOP products, and is gradually becoming a tourist destination.

Dung Nguyen

Source: https://nhandan.vn/doi-che-truyen-thong-thanh-diem-hen-van-hoa-post915724.html