Lai Chau (VNA) - Phong Tho, a border district in the northwestern province of Lai Chau, is home to 🦄over 8,ꦐ000 ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, the largest number of such trees in the region.

Most of those wild ancient trees are found in six communes - Mo Si San, Si Lo Lau, Pa Vay Su, Tung Qua Lin, Sin Suoi, Ho and Hoang Then. Mo Si San commune, about 80km from Lai Chau city, has more than 1,700 Shan Tuyet tea trees, some of which are up to 900 years old. The old tea trees here have big trunks which even reach up to 30m tall. They produce big, dark green buds and leaves, which are covered with soft "fur" as white as snow, hence the name Shan Tuyet (Tuyet means snow). It takes more than three hours for locals to trek up the mountains and reach the ancient tea trees that grow nearly 2,000m above sea level. To pick tea leaves, people have to stay in the forest for several days. Tan A Hang, who lives in Tan Seo Phin village, Mo Si San commune, said that people used to go to the forest to pick this type of tea leaves to drink at home, as they loved its sweetness and fragrance. Nowadays, they earn money from picking tea leaves to sell to the local cooperative for processing. Aware of the economic potential of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, in 2019, Mo Si San commune established Bien Cuong Cooperative to purchase and process fresh tea buds using modern machines into tea products, bringing high economic value. The cooperative has established the Mo Si San tea brand for its tea products.

Chairman of Mo Si San People’s Committee Tan Chin Lung said locals have been given instruction on tea harvesting techniques to ensure the quality of tea. Due attention has been paid to preserving and promoting this specialty tea variety, he noted, adding that the commune opens training courses on preserving the tea trees and planting new ones in a safe and sustainable manner. The commune produces about 1.5 tonnes of dry tea each year. With prices ranging from 2-3 million VND (78.5-118 USD) per kg of dried tea, revenue from tea products have helped improve incomes and living conditions for many local farmers. Defining that this is a crop that helps people alleviate hunger and reduce poverty, since 2021, the commune has planted Shan Tuyet trees on 22ha while continuing to preserve the existing 8,000 ancient tea trees, Tan Van Tai, vice chairman of Hoang Then commune, said, adding that the tea trees are growing very well. Other communes of Phong Tho district such as Si Lo Lau, Pa Vay Su, Tung Qua Lin and Dao San are also trying to tap into the potential of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees. According to Vu Huu Luong, head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development in Phong Tho district, a project for the development and protection of ancient tea trees has been implemented in the region. It is expected that in the 2021-2025 period, Phong Tho will plant an additional 120ha of tea in the communes of Si Lo Lau, Mo Si San, Pa Vay Su, Hoang Then, Tung Qua Lin and Dao San, he added./.