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.
On November the first, the Provincial People's Committee held a meeting for the reports on the progress of preparations to hold the Ceremony to receive the Certificate of the special national relic ranking for Trai Cave, the Stone Roof of Vanh village (Lac Son district) and the Opening Ceremony of the Culture - Tourism Week of Hoa Binh province in 2024. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, the Head of the Organizing Committee of Culture - Tourism Week chaired the meeting.
alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Phi Long on October 30 had a working session with the Party Committee of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment on the sector's implementation of political tasks in the past 10 months, and key tasks for the last months of 2024 and in the coming time.
In recent years, the People's Committee of Lac Thuy district has directed units and mass organisations to promote the popularisation of the Party's policies and resolutions and the State's laws, as well as issued guiding documents on local religious affairs.
The Hoa Binh Steering Committee for the organisation of the fourth provincial congress of ethnic minority groups held a meeting on October 29 to discuss the progress of preparations for the congress. Dinh Cong Su, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the Steering Committee chaired the event. The congress is slated for November 14-15 at the provincial Cultural Palace, expecting 250 official delegates.
Despite a low starting point, the mountainous district of Mai Chau has effectively implemented the National Target Programme on New Rural Development, resulting in significant improvements in people’s life and rural look.
Over the past years, Hoa Binh has systematically implemented the one-stop-shop and interconnected one-stop-shop mechanisms in processing administrative procedures, contributing to improving the efficiency of the work while promoting online public services.
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