People in Van Chan have transformed their lives thanks to tea cultivation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan, 55 years old, residing in Trung Tam village, was busily harvesting the spring tea crop when she paused to share: "My family has one hectare of densely planted Shan Tuyet tea, which was renovated and replanted in 2005. Each year, we harvest five main crops, with each crop yielding four tons of fresh tea buds. With a purchase price of 7,000 VND/kg right at the foot of the hill, after deducting expenses, we earn over 100 million VND per year."

Over 90% of the households of the three ethnic groups Kinh, Dao, and Thai in Nam Bung commune here cultivate tea. The tea plants, originally planted in the midland region in 1968, have become old and unsuitable for the local soil after more than 30 years, fetching only about 3,000 VND/kg. Therefore, Yen Bai province has introduced Shan Tuyet tea for large-scale cultivation, with a planting density of 16,000 plants/ha, creating new opportunities for tea growers.

Mr. Ly Dao Chu, head of Sai Luong village, was a pioneer in selecting Shan Tuyet tea seedlings from ancient Suoi Giang tea trees and planting them since 2002. Now, they are yielding harvests, with fresh tea buds selling for 20,000 VND/kg. He shared: "We Dao people now know how to do business . If we plant cinnamon, it takes a long time, and after one harvest, we have to replant from scratch (when harvesting, we have to cut down the trees and strip the bark). But Shan Tuyet tea plants, once planted, yield harvests for a lifetime. The people in the highlands are very happy. Sai Luong village has 180 households, and Nam Chau village has 170 households, all growing Shan Tuyet tea. Thanks to this, the lives of the Dao people are much more prosperous!"

In Tan Thinh commune, a key tea-growing area in Van Chan district, there are nearly 400 hectares of tea plantations, mainly consisting of LDP1, LDP2, Bat Tien, and Phuc Van Tien varieties. The area has a cooperative and many private enterprises specializing in tea trading and processing. Thanks to good soil, abundant rainfall, and a hot, humid climate, coupled with a long tradition of tea cultivation, the locality harvests over 2,400 tons of tea buds annually. With fresh buds currently selling for around 4,000 VND/kg, the people earn nearly 10 billion VND from tea cultivation, significantly improving the lives of many families involved in intensive tea farming. Thanks to convenient transportation, fresh tea buds harvested from the hills are transported directly to processing plants, minimizing losses and maintaining product quality.

To support local households, the Van Chan District Branch of the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank opened an additional transaction office in the commune, facilitating access to loans for purchasing fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural tools for tea production. The bank has established 300 loan groups, with nearly 4,000 members borrowing capital for tea cultivation, and outstanding loans exceeding 800 billion VND, creating opportunities for tea farmers to develop their economy.

Currently, Van Chan district has 4,650 hectares of tea plantations, of which over 1,500 hectares are Shan Tuyet tea. In 2024, the total production reached 48,500 tons, bringing significant income to the people. To develop tea cultivation sustainably, Van Chan district has improved tea quality through VietGAP standards, organic tea certification, and OCOP 4-star certification for 10 products and OCOP 3-star certification for eight products. Shan Tuyet tea has been granted geographical indication “Suoi Giang Van Chan” to five units. Every year, Van Chan district organizes the Suoi Giang Tea Festival combined with tourism, aiming to promote high-quality tea products to domestic and international tourists, creating a direction for mountainous agricultural products.

At one point, when the price of tea leaves dropped low, people destroyed their tea plantations and switched to growing fruit trees and forestry trees. In response to this situation, the People's Committee of Yen Bai province established a tea development plan for the period 2016-2020. This plan focused on planting nearly 3,400 hectares of tea in the highland districts, including 800 hectares of high-density Shan Tuyet tea with 16,000 seedlings/hectare in Gia Hoi and Nam Bung communes. Simultaneously, it aimed to develop Shan Tuyet tea growing areas in Suoi Giang, Phinh Ho, Suoi Bu, Sung Do, and Nam Muoi districts, linking them with ecotourism.

In these tea-growing regions, visitors have the opportunity to explore ancient tea forests with trees hundreds of years old, some with trunks so large it takes two people to embrace them and canopies spanning dozens of meters, while also experiencing the thrill of climbing trees and picking tea leaves alongside the locals. This is a sustainable approach for the traditional tea-growing area. Visitors can also admire the elaborate tea-making and serving techniques of H'Mông girls. In the cool weather at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, sipping the tea, its rich, honey-like liquid, visitors savor each small sip, experiencing an unforgettable blend of sweetness and aroma.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguoi-dan-van-chan-doi-doi-tu-cay-che-post881971.html