Located on Ho Chi Minh Road, near the border with Laos, the Thanh Chuong tea hills in Nghe An Province, 330km south of Hanoi, has an unusual setting.

the Thanh Chuong tea hills in Nghe An Province.

More than 50 years ago, the place was an irrigation lake built to water more than 700 hectares of rice fields in Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes, Thanh Chuong District. It was only three years ago that residents started planting tea. Now there are nearly 200 households growing tea on over 400 hectares.

Tea estates in places like Moc Chau, Thai Nguyen and Da Lat can be visited and explored on foot. But the Thanh Chuong tea hills are accessed by boat. Each tea estate has a cultivated area of about one hectare, and only about 10 tea gardens here allow visitors.

In 2017, Nguyen Cong Can, 72, built a makeshift house on his tea island to take care of the tea and rafts. He said more and more tourists were visiting the place every year. "They mainly come for sightseeing and take pictures," he said.

The atmosphere is fresh and the temperatures range between 17 and 28 degrees Celsius, creating favorable conditions for growing tea. Some households have set up sheds on the island to look after the tea plants. They serve tourists green tea and peanut candy, rent hats and even tea picking tools.

In 2017, Nguyen Cong Can, 72, built a makeshift house on his tea island to take care of the tea and rafts. He said more and more tourists were visiting the place every year. "They mainly come for sightseeing and take pictures," he said.

There are dozens of motorboats ready to take tourists on a cruise.

Each boat carries a maximum of 20 people. Most boats are invested and operated by locals. Early morning is the best time to explore the unique tea islands in Vietnam. It can get cold, so carrying a jacket is advisable. As the boats go closer to the gardens the aroma of tea mingles with the fresh air, helping visitors relax and feel rejuvenated.

Early morning is the best time to explore the unique tea islands in Vietnam. It can get cold, so carrying a jacket is advisable.

Now, sightseeing during the day is not the only option. Visitors can stay overnight on the Thanh Chuong tea hill. There are a number of homestay accommodations set up by locals, charging about VND150,000 ($6.44) per night.

A cruise and/or a stay on this tea hill enables a closer look at the lives of the Thai ethnic minority, discover waterfalls and taste local specialties like "hill chicken".

Vietnam tea exports ranked fifth worldwide

Vietnam is now the seventh biggest tea producer in the world and the fifth biggest exporter of the product.

 

Vietnam earns kudos for steady progress in innovation

Vietnam has climbed two spots on the latest Global Innovation Index and earned praise for being one of the few countries showing consistent progress.

 

Xuan Luong becomes green with tea fields

(BGO) – In the recent five years, Xuan Luong commune (Yen The district - Bac Giang province) has been known for its outstanding achievements in economic, cultural and tourism development. The advantages of the upland commune are being promoted. Especially, tea trees have brought a great source of income to the people here.

 

Middle East, Africa as potential destinations for Vietnamese goods

Vietnamese enterprises should engage more in trade promotion activities in the Middle East and Africa, particularly as its traditional export markets are becoming oversaturated.

 

Vietnam becomes Asia’s hottest investment destination: Forbes

An article published by US magazine Forbes has recently considered Vietnam as the hottest investment destination in Asia.

 

Source: VnExpress