In Pa Co commune of Mai Chau district, apart from 82ha of 'shan tuyet' teas grown several decades ago, there are also ancient plants aged more than 100 years, mostly in Pa Hang Lon and Pa Co hamlets. The local tea with its distinctive flavour has become a consumer preference. Besides, the ancient plants are also favourite check-in places of tourists at present.
Residents in Pa Co hamlet in Pa Co commune, Mai Chau district, harvest 'shan tuyet' tea buds from old plants.
Pa Co commune is blessed with a cool climate,
foggy and cold winter, and high humidity in forest, which are favourable
conditions for teas to grow and acquire special quality. In its Pa Hang Lon hamlet, the ancient plant
area is surrounded by forest. Villagers said most of the ancient plants here
are more than 100 years old.
Mua A Senh, a 93-year-old man in Pa Hang Lon
hamlet, said the plants grow wildly, and no one knows when they came into
being. In the past, people often picked and dried fresh buds to use as a daily
beverage and as a gift for distinguished guests. Tea has formed part of the
daily life and culture of the local Mong ethnic people for hundreds of years,
and drying tea is also a craft dating back that long.
The ancient plants in Pa Co commune belong to
the variety of 'shan tuyet', whose buds are covered with as-white-as-snow hairs
that still remain even after being dried. Taking a sip of the clear yellow
drink, people can feel its light bitter and fragrant taste with sweetness still
lingering for a long time.
Sung A Pao, a resident in Pa Hang Lon hamlet,
said that previously, tea plants grew wildly and some were even 6 metres high.
Later, realising consumers’ preference for tea from ancient plants, locals have
boosted organic practices to care for the plants. They do not use pesticide or
chemical fertiliser so as to retain the tea’s natural flavour.
Villagers have to stand on ladders to pick the
buds on the tips of high and long branches of big ancient plants. Every year, a
plant could be harvested for three times, each of which people can pick 10 -
13kg of fresh buds, equivalent to 6 - 7kg of dried tea.
Phang A Truong, a resident in Pa Co hamlet, said
with four plants about 100 years old, his family is among those having the most
ancient tea plants in the hamlet. As the plants are heritage passed down from
their ancestors, they have been cherished very much, protected, and harvested
carefully. Despite low productivity, these plants produce delicious tea with
prices of 250,000 - 300,000 VND (10.1 - 12.1 USD) per kg, bringing about high
profit for locals.
To capitalise on those ancient plants, the
farmers’ union of Pa Co commune has opened training courses to give caring
instructions to local residents. There are nearly 100 ancient tea plants across
the commune at present, generating over 200kg of buds each year and becoming a
considerable source of income for many households.
Chairman of the Pa Co Commune People’s Committee
Sung A Sia noted that ancient tea plants previously scattered across hamlets
but now, they concentrate on an area of about 6ha in Pa Hang Lon and Pa Co
hamlets. To maintain and optimise the ancient plant area, the local authorities
have encouraged people to adopt organic practices and develop a typical tea
product of the locality so as to gradually build a brand and improve product
value.
With the motto of "polite, dedicated, professional, and lawful,” over the years, Phu Cuong commune in Tan Lac district has gradually improved the quality of processing administrative procedures, winning high satisfaction from local people and businesses.
Stretching over 300 meters, valued at hundreds of million dong and built to the new-style rural standards, a concrete road in De hamlet, Bac Phong commune, Cao Phong district, was completed by the end of 2023 thanks to the collective contributions of armed forces at provincial and district levels coupled with the active participation of military units stationed throughout the district.
Over the years, the People’s Committee of Lac Thuy district has issued many plans and programmes to speed up the administrative reform, aiming to better serve local people and businesses.
Kim Boi district is drafting 23 planning projects which are expected to help boost the local socio-economic development, attract investors, and mobilise resources for development, said Vice chairman of the district People’s Committee Tran Tuan Son.
They include the one on Bo urban area development until 2045, 20 zoning, and 12 on rural residential areas in communes.
This year, Hoa Binh province strives to have eight communes recognised as meeting new-style rural area standards and five communes satisfying exemplary new-style rural area standards. Since the beginning of the year, the provincial People's Committee has drastically directed the implementation of the national target programme on new-style rural area building to fulfil the set target.
Cao Phong district achieved positive socio-economic development results last year as drastic comprehensive measures were implemented with high determination of its whole political system, said the Secretary of the district Party Committee Ha Van Di.
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