In Tủa Chùa commune, Hương Linh Co., Ltd. is capitalizing on the strength of the area’s Shan Tuyết tea plantations. The company currently sources tea from around 200 hectares, including both tall and low-growing tea plants, with nearly 8,000 mature tall tea trees. Drawing on this tea-growing area, the company has invested in processing, improved product quality and developed different types of tea for overseas markets.

Nguyễn Mỹ Linh, Director of Hương Linh Co., Ltd., said the company currently has five OCOP-certified products. Among them, its green tea, black tea and Pu-erh tea have been exported. Tủa Chùa ancient Shan Tuyết green tea is shipped to Japan, where it has a direct distributor in Tokyo. The company’s black tea is exported to Russia, Germany and Japan, while its Pu-erh tea is sold in Japan and China.

Although the company’s products have reached international markets, annual export volumes for each type of tea  remain modest, at around 200-300 kilograms. According to Nguyễn Mỹ Linh, the current supply of raw materials is not sufficient to meet large orders. The company has therefore chosen a quality-driven development strategy, paying close attention to each product and each target market. Japan, in particular, is a market the company is placing strong emphasis on.

Building on its initial export orders, Hương Linh Co., Ltd. is now looking further ahead, with the goal of establishing its own product brand. Nguyễn Mỹ Linh said the company aims to have an OCOP five-star tea product as soon as possible, build a premium brand for its Pu-erh tea line and expand into international markets by leveraging the value of the “Tủa Chùa Shan Tuyết tea geographical indication area.”

Also targeting markets with higher quality and value requirements, Phan Nhất Tea Co., Ltd. in Mường Lạn commune is exploring its own approach to developing its tea-growing area and products. The company has developed a range of teas, including White Tea, Phan Nhất Green Tea, Phan Nhất PH14 Shan Tuyết Tea, Nhất Nguyên White Tea and Nhất Nguyên Black Tea.

According to Phan Trọng Nhất, Director of Phan Nhất Tea Co., Ltd., developing the company’s tea-growing area under organic production practices is helping stabilize its supply of raw materials, improve product quality and increase the value generated from each unit of land. The Phan Nhất organic tea-growing area currently covers 20 hectares, of which 17 hectares are in stable production.

Using tea from this area, the company processes and develops seven tea products, two of which have received four-star OCOP certification. Its focus on product quality has also opened up opportunities to reach overseas markets. Phan Nhất White Tea is currently exported to South Korea at a volume of around 100 kilograms a year. While the volume remains small, this represents a pathway for the company to gradually enter markets with higher standards while increasing the value of its tea-growing area.

Điện Biên currently has more than 633 hectares of tea plantations, with fresh tea-leaf production reaching around 88.8 tonnes, up 39.15 tonnes from the same period last year. The province’s tea-growing areas are gradually expanding, but for tea to generate greater value, improving product quality and adding value at every stage remain key.

To support this process, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is focusing on guiding local authorities, businesses and farmers in developing stable raw-material areas and improving quality throughout the production chain, from cultivation and harvesting to processing.

Chu Thị Thanh Xuân, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that alongside improving the quality of tea-growing areas, the sector would support the development of OCOP products, brand building, traceability and market linkages, gradually helping producers meet the requirements of high-standard markets.

According to Xuân, each tea-growing area has its own strengths, which should be developed by creating products with distinctive quality and value while linking raw-material areas with processing, branding and markets. When these stages are effectively connected, tea products will become more competitive while generating greater value for producers.

From tea plantations high in the mountains, the flavor of Điện Biên tea is traveling farther through products that are processed, packaged and sold under their own brands. There is still a long road ahead, but tea products from Tủa Chùa and Mường Lạn are building confidence that the province’s tea plantations can continue to be carefully cultivated, its products further elevated and the Điện Biên tea brand gradually recognized by more consumers around the world.