A community of 220 very old “Shan tuyet” tea trees in the Vi Xuyendistrict of northernmost Ha Giang province, recently received theVietnam Heritage Tree title.

The trees, agedbetween 100 and 300 years, were recognised by the Vietnam Associationfor Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE), reported the NhanDan (People) newspaper.

The recognition is said tobe of importance in preserving the genetic resources of the renowned teavariety and popularising the product in domestic and foreign markets.

The district’s Cao Bo commune is home to nearly 1,000 hectares of Shan tuyet tea trees growing on high mountains.

In 2011, the Cao Bo tea was confirmed as meeting organic productionregulations by the International Federation of Organic AgricultureMovements.

More than 200 tonnes of local organic teaare exported to European countries and the US every year, considerablyprofiting local businesses and tea makers.

Theprogramme to select and honour Vietnam’s heritage trees was launched in2011 by the VACNE in a bid to conserve their genetic resources and raisepublic awareness of environmental protection.

To win the honour, a tree must be at least 200 years old in the caseof wild trees and 100 years for planted ones. They should also beconnected with the historical and cultural characteristics of the areawhere they grow.

Those which do not meet these criteria, but have special values inscience, history or culture, will also earn the recognition.

The number of recognised heritage trees is currently around 970.-VNA