A journey into the misty mountains of Ta Xua reveals a deeper story steeped in ancient tea trees, H’mong traditions, and the quiet wisdom of a plantation keeper.

Photographs by Vera Ong

*Left to right*: Tru Sa, a H’mong local, oversees a 200-plus hectare plantation that has been in his family line for generations; the tea is high in antioxidants and is a natural stress reliever.

Being the world’s second largest producer of coffee beans, one might quite naturally overlook Vietnam’s tea. No doubt coffee is already deeply entrenched in her culture, but tea remains important especially in the north.

The mountainous region of Ta Xua produces Shan Tuyet tea (Che Shan Tuyet), a rare and highly prized tea variety. So when my homestay owner offered to connect me to his friend who owns a tea plantation and who generously offered to take me on a plantation tour, I thanked him and quickly arranged a ride.

Tru Sa, a H’mong local, shows up as an affable man, youthful and English-speaking. He oversees a 200-plus hectare plantation that has been in his family line for a few hundred years. As we trekked through the paths of the plantation, Tru pointed out trees that are hundreds of years old and which produce tea leaves that are bittersweet. The tea, often hand-picked by the H’mong people, is high in antioxidants and a natural stress reliever.

He told me that climbing trees to pick tea gives us a chance to touch nature. Roasting tea by the fire gives us strength and endurance. Experiencing new types of tea gives us the courage to change.

The upper floor of the tea house housed a mini library; the mountainous region of Ta Xua produces Shan Tuyết tea, a rare and highly prized tea variety. — *Left to right*: The upper floor of the tea house housed a mini library; the mountainous region of Ta Xua produces Shan Tuyet tea, a rare and highly prized tea variety.

Tru Sa has built a beautifully zen and Taiwanese-inspired courtyard within his tea house at the foot of the plantation. After the walk, he offered me an opportunity to roast the tea leaves by hand. I gave it a go and immediately appreciated the difficult work that went into the process. Tea leaves are hand roasted for a few hours and then dried further. It’s a full day’s work.

Unexpectedly, the upper floor of the double-storeyed tea house was a mini library – floor to ceiling bookshelves lining the peripherals of the room, with a low tea table and chairs in the middle. I find out, as I surveyed the ideal tea room for book lovers such as I, that Tru Sa is not just a tea connoisseur and caretaker of the plantation but also a scribe and published book author. This fellow journalist has written two novels and a few articles in local publications about tea.

The hospitality and generosity of the H’mong people are everywhere you go in Ta Xua. Even after a few days in the mountains, I still continued to benefit – Tru Sa would not allow me to leave without a packet of his prized tea and an autographed copy of one of his novels.

I reckon if travelers were to venture out to Ta Xua to partake just of her natural beauty but saw none of her inner soul through the people, it would be a great loss.

Hold the Coffee: Time for Tea in Ta Xua

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