Harvesting ‘green gold’ on cloud-covered mountains

Ta Xua commune of Bac Yen district in the northern mountainous province of Son La is renowned as the land of ancient shan tuyet tea trees. It is about 100km away to the northeast of Son La city and 14.5km away from the centre of Bac Yen. The commune is adjacent to Ban Mu commune of Yen Bai province’s Tram Tau district in the north, Phieng Ban commune of Bac Yen in the south, Suoi To and Suoi Bau communes of Phu Yen district in the east, and Lang Cheu and Xim Vang communes of Bac Yen to the west. Ta Xua covers some 4,138ha of land, most of which are hills and mountains (Photo: VietnamPlus)

An ancient shan tuyet tree. A shan tuyet tree has a rough trunk, and its bark is covered with moss and ferns. Although many trees are over 100 years old, they still continue to produce new and fresh buds. To pick shan tuyet tea buds, local people have to climb up ancient and tall trees and pick fresh buds one by one and store them in a basket on their back. When trees produce ‘one bud and two leaves’, it is the right time to harvest tea buds, which should be dried immediately on the same day to ensure the best quality (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Shan tuyet tea trees of Ta Xua commune grow in an environment that is filled with clouds and cold fog all year round. They have rough trunks, and their bark is covered with moss and ferns. When ‘one bud and two leaves’ are produced, those tea buds are eligible for harvesting. Fresh green tea buds are placed on the house floor for drying before being processed. They are then dried before being packed. In some families, fresh tea buds are manually processed in all steps. With their skilled hands, the Mong ethnic people turn out shan tuyet tea with a unique taste irresistible to any drinker (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Not only being famous for the specially delicious shan tuyet tea with trees that are over 100 years old, Ta Xua commune is also known as a ‘cloud paradise’ as it lies at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres above the sea level. Ta Xua is home to eight villages, namely Ta Xua A, Ta Xua C, Khe Cai, Mong Vang, Chung Chinh, Be, Tro A, and Tro B. By the end of 2017, there were 501 households with 3,049 people in the commune. The Mong ethnic minority people accounted for 99.57 percent of Ta Xua’s population while Kinh people made up the remaining 0.43 percent (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Shan tuyet tea is a precious and sacred delicacy of the Mong ethnic community in Ta Xua commune. Realising that these tea trees can become a long-term source of income for residents, local authorities decided to carry out a project on recovering and developing the Ta Xua shan tuyet tea growing area. The administration of Bac Yen district invited businesses to coordinate in developing a brand for the Ta Xua shan tuyet tea. According to the Bac Yen division for agriculture, Ta Xua is home to nearly 140ha of tea with about 2,000 ancient trees that are over 200 years old, generating about 50 tonnes of fresh buds and 10 tonnes of dried tea annually (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Mong people account for 13 percent of the population of Son La, becoming the third most populous ethnic group in the province, following the Thai and Kinh people. They live mainly in Moc Chau, Thuan Chau, Yen Chau, and Bac Yen districts. Ta Xua is a mountainous and disadvantaged commune of Bac Yen, which is located in the northeast of Son La. It covers some 4,138ha of land, most of which are hills and mountains, and agricultural land makes up 59.4 percent (about 2,457ha) of the commune’s area. There, the Mong ethnic minority people accounted for 99.57 percent of Ta Xua’s population while the Kinh people 0.43 percent (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ta Xua commune of Bac Yen district, Son La province, lies at about 1,600 – 1,700 metres above the sea level. To reach this land, visitors have to pass sinuous roads skirting around rocky mountains. It is about 100km away to the northeast of Son La city and 14.5km away from the centre of Bac Yen. The commune is adjacent to Ban Mu commune of Yen Bai province’s Tram Tau district in the north, Phieng Ban commune of Bac Yen in the south, Suoi To and Suoi Bau communes of Phu Yen district in the east, and Lang Cheu and Xim Vang communes of Bac Yen to the west (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A panorama of mountains in Ta Xua commune. Most of this commune’s area is covered with hills and mountains. Apart from the tasty shan tuyet tea with over-100-years-old trees, Ta Xua commune is also known far and wide as a ‘cloud paradise’ as it lies at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres above the sea level. Travellers are recommended to visit Ta Xua to hunt clouds in between December and March, when they can enjoy the most beautiful cloud seas, as well as colourful flowers. The commune is also charming in January and February with peach blossoms, or May and June with terraced rice fields in the water pouring season (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Almost all residents in Ta Xua commune belong to the Mong ethnic minority group. The Mong people account for 13 percent of the population of Son La, becoming the third most populous ethnic group in the province, following the Thai and Kinh people. They live mainly in Moc Chau, Thuan Chau, Yen Chau, and Bac Yen districts. By the end of 2017, there were 501 households with 3,049 people in Ta Xua, a mountainous and disadvantaged commune of Bac Yen. The Mong ethnic minority people in the commune accounted for 99.57 percent of the local population while Kinh people made up the remaining 0.43 percent (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A Mong ethnic woman on her way home with a basket full of tea buds. Shan tuyet tea trees grow mostly in Ta Xua A, Ta Xua C, Mong Vang, Chung Chinh, and Be villages of Ta Xua commune. According to the division of agriculture of Bac Yen district, Ta Xua is home to nearly 140ha of tea with about 2,000 ancient trees that are over 200 years old. The Bac Yen People’s Committee granted the right to use and develop the ‘Che Ta Xua’ (Ta Xua Tea) trademark to the Tay Bac Tea and Special Food Co. Ltd (Tafood), based in Ta Xua A village (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A Mong ethnic woman guides visitors to an area of shan tuyet tea trees. In December 2019, the population of 200 ancient shan tuyet tea trees, aged between over 100 and nearly 300 years, in Ta Xua commune earned the ‘heritage tree’ title. These trees are more than 5 metres tall on average and have their trunks over 28 centimetres in diameter. The recognition was made by the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment. Apart from Bac Yen district, ancient shan tuyet tea trees can also be found in other places of Son La province such as Moc Chau and Phu Yen districts (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ancient tea trees in Ta Xua commune, Bac Yen district, date back several hundreds of years and grow on high mountains. They have rough trunks and bark covered with moss and ferns. Although many trees are over 100 years old, they still continue to produce new and fresh buds. Not only Son La province, Yen Bai and Ha Giang, which are also mountainous provinces in the north of Vietnam, are also home to ancient shan tuyet tea trees. Son La is the third locality in Vietnam, following Yen Bai and Ha Giang, to have ancient shan tuyet tea trees given the ‘heritage tree’ title (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Shan tuyet tea trees in Ta Xua. The tea is one of the two specialties of the commune, the other is clouds. Ta Xua commune of Bac Yen district, Son La province, lies at about 1,600 – 1,700 metres above the sea level. To reach this land, visitors have to pass sinuous roads skirting around rocky mountains. Travellers are recommended to visit Ta Xua to hunt clouds between December and March, when they can enjoy the most beautiful cloud seas, as well as colourful flowers. The commune is also charming in January and February with peach blossoms, or May and June with terraced rice fields in the water pouring season (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ancient shan tuyet tea trees have wide canopies and rough trunks with bark covered with moss and ferns. They are about 10 – 15 metres tall. Shan tuyet tea trees of Ta Xua grow in an environment that is filled with clouds and cold fog all year round. Local people can harvest only several kilogrammes of fresh tea buds from an ancient tree each season. To collect tea buds, they have to climb up these tall trees, pick fresh leaves one by one, and put leaves in a basket on their backs. Apart from Bac Yen district, these ancient trees can also be found in Moc Chau and Phu Yen districts of Son La province (Photo: VietnamPlus)

In the word ‘shan tuyet’, ‘shan’ means ‘mountain’, which indicates the location where these tea trees grow. Meanwhile, ‘tuyet’ means ‘snow’, a word use to describe the fuzz as white and fine as snow on the back side of tea leaves. This is the reason why local residents call this tea delicacy ‘shan tuyet’. When trees produce ‘one bud and two leaves’, it is the right time to harvest tea buds, which should be dried immediately on the same day to ensure the best quality. With their skilled hands, Mong ethnic people turn out shan tuyet tea with a unique taste irresistible to any drinker (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tea leaves are spread to dry naturally. Ta Xua, together with Suoi Giang of Yen Bai province, Tay Con Linh of Ha Giang province, and Tan Cuong of Thai Nguyen province, is among the famous tea brands in Vietnam. The country’s traditional tea art is simple but elegant. A cup of tea is always a good way to start a conversation, and a good pot of tea provides a wonderful time to strengthen family bonds or friendship. Particularly, brewing a hot pot of tea and sipping the drink during the rarely-found leisure time in the Lunar New Year holiday inspires the feeling of peace and harmony with nature, dissolving any hassle of the daily life (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Mong ethnic residents in Ta Xua commune dry tea leaves. When ‘one bud and two leaves’ are produced, those tea buds are eligible for harvesting. Fresh tea buds are dried before being packed. In some families, they are manually processed in all steps. Shan tuyet tea is a precious specialty of the Mong ethnic people and called “green gold” as it is believed to a good source of income for local people. A project on recovering and developing the local Ta Xua shan tuyet tea area has been carried out over the past years under the coordination of the administration of Bac Yen district and businesses (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Fresh buds of shan tuyet tea. According to the Bac Yen division of agriculture, Ta Xua is home to nearly 140ha of tea with about 2,000 ancient trees that are over 200 years old. Realising local shan tuyet tea trees’ potential for generating stable income for local residents, Bac Yen authorities decided to carry out a project on recovering and developing the Ta Xua shan tuyet tea area. This district’s administration invited businesses to coordinate in developing a brand for the Ta Xua shan tuyet tea. The Bac Yen People’s Committee granted the right to use and develop the ‘Che Ta Xua’ (Ta Xua Tea) trademark to the Tay Bac Tea and Special Food Co. Ltd (Tafood) (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A round-shaped compressed tea brick. Shan tuyet tea, grown naturally, is nutritious and boasts unique taste. The delicious tea, apart from cloud seas, has made Ta Xua commune renowned far and wide. To reach the land of shan tuyet tea and cloud seas that is located at an altitude of about 1,600 – 1,700 metres above the sea level, visitors have to pass sinuous roads skirting around rocky mountains. In the word ‘shan tuyet’, ‘shan’ means ‘mountain’, which indicates the location where these tea trees grow. Meanwhile, ‘tuyet’ means ‘snow’, a word use to describe the fuzz as white and fine as snow on the back side of tea leaves (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Compressed tea brick produced by the Tay Bac Tea and Special Food Co. Ltd (Tafood), based in Ta Xua A village of Ta Xua commune. Tafood was granted the right to use and develop the ‘Che Ta Xua’ (Ta Xua Tea) trademark by the People’s Committee of Bac Yen district. The longer time these tea bricks are kept, the more delicious the drink tastes. Shan tuyet tea is favoured by tea aficionados due to their rarity and special taste. On the Lunar New Year festival, a cup of tea is indispensable. Sipping tea, host and guest exchange wishes for a happy new year with new success, which is part of Vietnamese people’s tradition (Photo: VietnamPlus)