Ancient Shan Tuyet Tea trees recognised as heritage tree

Shan Tuyet Tea trees

The Viet Nam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) has presented a certificate to recognise a population of 220 Shan Tuyet Tea trees at Cao Bo commune, Vi Xuyen disitrict, Ha Giang as heritage trees of Viet Nam.

The ancient Shan Tuyet Tea trees hold a strong sentiment with local people growing up in the area, so each villager always has an awareness to preserve them and considers them an indispensable part of their culture. Preserved, cared for and grown on mountains covered by cloud all year, the quality of Shan Tuyet Tea leaves are always pure and when used to make tea deliver a delicious fragrance, thanks to these features Shan Tuyet tea has been considered as characteristic of Cao Bo tea region.

Being recognised as a Vietnamese natural heritage contributes to protecting the genetic resources of the well-known tea variety. Meanwhile, the event offers a chance to honour and promote Ha Giang tea products to domestic and international visitors.

Cao Bo commune has a total of nearly 1,000 ha of ancient Shan Tuyet Tea tree. Since 2011, Cao Bo tea products have been recognised as organic products by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).

Each year, Cao Bo commune has exported 200 tonnes of tea to numerous countries around the world with prices starting from US$6 per kilogram of black tea and US$ 8 per kilogram of green tea.