Chu Viet Bac

In the highlands of Ha Giang, where towering mountains rise to meet the clouds, Hoang Su Phi appears like a painting, rugged yet enchanting. Renowned for its lush green rice terraces, this region is a repository of traditional cultural values preserved by ethnic minority communities, especially the Red Dao people. Among the treasured legacies passed down through generations is the ancient Shan Tuyet tea tree, a rare and precious variety known for its distinctive flavor infused with the essence of the Northwest mountains and forests.

The youngest part of the tea tree is harvested for processing

The name Hoàng Su Phì stems from an ancient local legend. Villagers describe a great flood that submerged all living things, sparing only a towering ancient tree with golden bark that stood firm atop the mountain. People gathered around this tree seeking refuge, eventually forming a thriving community. Hoàng Su Phì, meaning “golden tree bark,” symbolizes resilience, survival, and this land’s endless vitality.

The Tay Con Linh mountain range, stretching across Vi Xuyen and Hoang Su Phi districts, boasts sky-piercing peaks, including Tay Con Linh (2,428m) in Tung San commune and Chieu Lau Thi (2,402m) in Ho Thau commune, known as the “roof of Northeast Vietnam.” While challenging adventurers, these peaks are also considered sacred, imbued with stories and the cultural heritage of the region’s ethnic communities.

Shan Tuyet tea is produced naturally, with no chemical fertilizers

The Red Dao people, long-time residents of Thong Nguyen, Nam Ty, Ho Thau, and Ban Luoc communes, are the custodians of these exceptional Shan Tuyet tea hills. Unlike tea grown in lowland or midland regions, Shan Tuyet tea grows wild, with some trees hundreds of years old. The undersides of the leaves are covered in a soft, silvery fuzz, giving the tea its signature pale grey hue and the name Shan Tuyet, meaning “Snow on the Mountain”. Towering ancient tea trees, with thick trunks and wide canopies shaped by the mountain winds, stand like natural sculptures.

To the Red Dao, Shan Tuyet is more than a beverage; it’s a spiritual legacy. Over generations, the community has passed down the art of harvesting and producing tea, turning it into a proud traditional craft. In the hands of skilled artisans, Shan Tuyet yields a golden-hued liquid, shimmering like honey, with a gentle herbal aroma and a full-bodied, slightly bitter taste. Each cup captures the essence of the highland forests and the locals’ deep love for their ancestral land.

The locals climb the trees to harvest the tea leaves

Hoang Su Phi has been officially recognized as home to many ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, a precious natural heritage mainly concentrated in the communes of Thong Nguyen, Nam Ty, and Ho Thau. Along with majestic mountain landscapes and emerald-green rice terraces that turn golden at harvest, visitors to this region have the chance to savor cups of rich Shan Tuyet tea. Each drop tastes of the essence of the earth and sky, and the heartfelt devotion of the local people.

The fragrance of tea leaves on the mountaintops tells a story of harmony between nature and humankind, between tradition and modernity, between preservation and growth. It also speaks of belonging and shared identity, of the Red Dao people, and the rugged stone highlands along the nation’s frontier.