Flavor of mountains and forests

With its high altitude and cool year-round climate, the communes of Sín Chải and Sính Phình have become ideal growing places for the ancient Shan tuyết tea variety. Tủa Chùa’s ancient Shan tuyết tea has large, grayish-white buds, and the underside of the leaves is covered with a fine layer of white “snow,” which is why people call it snow tea. In winter, amidst the frost and cold wind, the ancient tea trunks still cling stubbornly to the rocks, bracing themselves against the cold. When the spring rains return and warm sunlight covers the mountainsides, the tea trees revive, sprouting buds and new leaves, starting a new season.

As one of the households owning the largest area of ancient tea trees in the region with over 500 trunks, Hạng A Chứ from Hấu Chua village, Sín Chải commune, shared: “This ancient tea variety yields about 16kg of fresh buds per tree, per harvest, which produces about 3kg of dry tea after processing. With good care, we can harvest 4-5 times a year, with an output of nearly 1 ton of dry tea. At a price of about VND 300,000/kg, after deducting labor costs, my family earns over VND 200 million per year.”

Ancient Shan tuyết tea is not like common tea types. To harvest it, people must use ladders or climb ropes on the towering ancient tea trees. In the past, many families did little to care for or fertilize them, but now, thanks to technical guidance, they have started applying fertilizer correctly. However, the special thing that defines the Tủa Chùa ancient Shan tuyết tea brand and sets it apart is that people do not use pesticides to control insects or stimulants to force new bud growth.

As a result, when brewed, the tea has a glistening golden color, a gentle aroma, and an initial slight astringency that gradually turns sweet on the tip of the tongue. The fragrance of the mountains mixes with the taste of the earth and the mist, leaving a lasting aftertaste, a pure flavor found only in the Tủa Chùa ancient tea region.

Elevating the heritage tree

Although it is a specialty with high economic value, for many years, Tủa Chùa’s Shan tuyết tea products were sold on the market under various different labels. This generic naming made it difficult for the product to create a distinct identity and easy to confuse with tea from other localities. The facilities and cooperatives processing Shan tuyết tea in Tủa Chùa are small-scale, limited in size, and lack uniformity in packaging, logos, or traceability stamps.

Meanwhile, other famous tea regions in the Northwest, such as Suối Giàng (Lào Cai) and Tà Xùa (Sơn La), have all successfully built their own brands. They have a story, a visual identity, and a specific name, helping their products spread strongly in domestic and international markets. Tủa Chùa possesses a precious raw material source, and its Shan tuyết tea has been recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree, with an equally rich history and quality. But lacking an affirmed “name,” the product’s value has not matched its potential.

Faced with these challenges of branding and quality, local party committees and authorities have actively stepped in, guiding and directing facilities, cooperatives, and residents to gradually perfect their production processes, packaging, and traceability stamps to enhance the value and reputation of Tủa Chùa Shan tuyết tea.

The efforts of the party committees, government, and people were met in August 2025 when the provincial People’s Committee approved the geographical indication (GI) zone map “Tủa Chùa” for the Shan tuyết tea product. This is a legal basis and a step to affirm the product’s geographical origin, quality, and reputation.

Closely tied to the Tủa Chùa land and specializing in processing products from ancient tea trees under the Diệp Thanh Trà and Hồng Trà brands, Nguyễn Mỹ Linh, Director of Hương Linh Co., Ltd., excitedly shared: “We follow the process closely from selecting raw materials to processing and packaging so that each box of tea carries its own story. The recent approval of the geographical indication zone map by the provincial People’s Committee helps us feel more confident when introducing our products to the market...”

With support from the party committee, government, and the company’s own efforts, the ancient tea products of Hương Linh Co., Ltd. are gradually building trust and a position in domestic and international markets. In particular, the company’s Diệp Thanh Trà - Ancient Shan tuyết Green Tea product was one of 108 products honored at the national typical rural industrial product award ceremony organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“We believe that when the brand is methodically built, consumers will understand that the cup of tea they are enjoying is crystallized from the buds of hundred-year-old ancient tea trees and is a product from the careful hands of the Tủa Chùa people. Then, the true value of the product lies not just in its flavor, but in the trust, reputation, and the unique stories of this land...” Nguyễn Mỹ Linh emphasized.

With the approval of the geographical indication zone map, Tủa Chùa Shan tuyết tea has now officially made its mark on the map of specialty products, carrying with it the story of a land of white mist and of the Hmong people who have anxiously preserved the ancient tea forests for generations.

The former Tủa Chùa district has nearly 600ha of Shan tuyết tea with over 8,000 ancient trees, concentrated mainly in the communes of Sín Chải, Lao Xả Phình, and Tả Sìn Thàng. Many tea trees are hundreds of years old, with trunks larger than a person’s embrace. In 2022, 100 tea trees in Sín Chải and Hấu Chua villages were recognized as “Vietnam Heritage Trees.”