The green tea hills, a vibrant color of abundance and warmth.

The main source of income for the people of Phu Tho hamlet (Vo Tranh commune) is tea cultivation and buffalo fattening. However, the most stable and sustainable source of income still comes from tea cultivation. Mr. Hoang Van Si, the hamlet head, shared: "Thanks to tea cultivation, the lives of the people in the hamlet are prosperous. Many households have escaped poverty, have the means to build houses, buy modern conveniences, and have a stable life."

The Hmong people in Phu Tho hamlet share their experiences in producing safe tea.

A revolution in economic thinking.

In a long mountain valley in Vo Tranh commune, Phu Tho hamlet was once a "blessed land," a place where people from the lowlands settled to cultivate tea. Mr. Lau Van Vu, a respected figure among the Mong ethnic group in Thai Nguyen , shared: "Before 1950, people from the lowlands came here to live off tea cultivation. When they had some capital, they sold this land to move to the city. We were the ones who bought it and continued to live off tea."

From the concrete road leading to the hamlet, one can see mountains in all directions. Some sections of the mountain range are compressed, others bulge out, revealing a region full of hardship. The terrain is complex, and the rice paddies are scarce, insufficient to feed the people. Many villagers have to go to neighboring areas to buy buffaloes to fatten and improve their income, or they work clearing land for others to earn money to buy food and make ends meet.

It was during difficult times that people realized the economic value that tea cultivation brought. Many people jokingly said: This is a revolution in thinking about family economics. They settled down, grew tea to sell and buy food, instead of clearing land to plant corn for making men men (a type of Vietnamese dish).

Mr. Hoang Van Si, head of Phu Tho hamlet, said: Currently, the hamlet has 80 households, including 45 Mong ethnic households. By 2025, the average income will reach 47 million VND/person/year. Not only will they have enough to eat, but most households will also have savings...

Over a cup of tea, the conversation revolved around the tea-making work of the villagers. This was especially true for the Hmong families who migrated from Cao Bang province more than 40 years ago. From not knowing how to make tea at all, they have now become proficient in everything from selecting seedlings and planting techniques to caring for, harvesting, and processing tea. Moreover, they produce high-quality tea.

For tea to truly become a key economic crop, bringing prosperity to the people of Phu Tho hamlet, it has been a long journey. Generations of agricultural officials from the province have come to the people, providing hands-on guidance, capital, seeds, scientific and technical support, and some tea processing equipment.

With each passing tea harvest, the people of Phu Tho hamlet improve their farming skills, production experience, and become more proactive in tea cultivation. In 2010, following the guidance of agricultural extension officers, the villagers converted old tea plantations to planting new tea varieties, mainly LDP1 and TRI 777.

Around the same time, the tea cultivation area expanded, and to date, the people of Phu Tho hamlet have planted more than 35 hectares of tea, with a stable yield of 95 quintals of fresh tea buds/hectare/year.

Beside his winter tea plantation, Mr. Ly Van Thanh, an experienced tea farmer in the village, shared: "Seeing the tea plants grow well and fetch good prices, everyone in the village felt confident investing in tea cultivation. A few years ago, I invested 13 million VND in a tea irrigation system, with the government providing 50% of the funding. Thanks to proactive irrigation and proper technical care, my family harvests about 10 tons of fresh tea leaves per year from nearly 5,000 square meters of land."

As winter approaches, the cold in the Phu Tho mountain valley begins to bite at the skin, but many tea plantations, thanks to the villagers' proactive irrigation and care, still have buds vying to reach for the sunlight. Besides Mr. Thanh's family, in the hamlet there are also Mr. Hoang Van Dung's household, Mr. Do Van Kien's household, and five other households that have invested in installing irrigation systems to grow tea during the winter season.

The villagers of Phu Tho hamlet are harvesting tea during the winter season.

Speaking with us, Mr. Sung Van Ly said: "My tea plantation is far from a water source and I haven't had the opportunity to install an irrigation system, but thanks to good care, I can confidently harvest seven crops a year. With nearly 2,000 square meters of tea plantation, my family earns over 100 million VND per year."

Warmth and comfort return home.

When talking about tea cultivation, people often mention households with many years of experience such as Mr. Ha Quoc Viet, Mr. Ha The Dan, and Mr. Nguyen Van Quynh. They possess a firm grasp of scientific and technical knowledge and actively share it with everyone in the village. As for households with large tea plantations, Mrs. Hoang Thi Hoa's family and Mr. Duong Van Xuan's family each own over 5,000 square meters of tea land.

Most households in the village sell fresh tea leaves to local processing facilities. Depending on market prices, tea sells for 20,000 VND/kg when there's plenty, and up to 50,000 VND/kg during peak periods. When asked about their income, many villagers smiled kindly and said: "We don't remember exactly how much fresh tea we harvest in a year, but we know that since we started making tea, we don't have to worry about running out of rice, and our children don't lack clothes when it's cold; many families have TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, electric rice cookers, and we always carry mobile phones wherever we go."

In the digital age, when tea plants are ready for harvest and need pickers, people simply share the information on Zalo or Facebook. The next morning, enough people are already waiting at the edge of the tea plantation. At the end of the day, the fresh tea collectors are already stationed at the beginning of the plot. After weighing the tea, payment is made by card, eliminating the need for cash. In the village, there are only two places that process tea continuously: the Phu Do Safe Tea Cooperative and an organic tea production cooperative, attracting most households with tea plantations to participate.

This is also how the people of Phu Tho hamlet create more opportunities to meet, interact, share experiences in producing safe, high-quality tea, and build a brand for their product.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202601/xanh-doi-che-tuoi-mau-no-am-06d2a23/