admin(No.3, Vol.9, Jun-Jul 2019 Vietnam Heritage Magazine)
Photos by Nguyen Vu Hau
Today’s Phu Tho Province was the land chosen by Hung Kings, the first rulers of Vietnam, to be their capital. Considered the cradle of the Viet people, this area still preserves the temples of Hung Kings and many other historical relics such as pagodas and shrines.
A midland area lying between mountains and lowland planes, the Phu Tho landscape is imposing, commanding, and poetic at the same time. The lush rolling tea hills are a perfect example of that.
Phu Tho is currently one of the provinces with the largest tea plantation areas in the country. The tea trees not only benefit thousands of households but also create enchanting beauty for the land of Phu Tho.
The tea hill of Long Coc, Tan Son District is one of the most typical, most beautiful tea hills of Phu Tho. From this vantage point, one can see a countless number of green tea hills teeming all around, each looking like a coiled dragon.
Mother Nature has blessed this land with the soil and weather best suitable for growing tea, and tea has been growing here for ages. The all-green beauty of these winding hills inevitably fascinates all who have ever been to these 600ha tea plantations. Rows of tea plants soften the form of the hills. The typical dark green color of tea leaves, shining and lush, which remains the same all year round, makes it feel so calm, so peaceful, yet so endearing.
It is best to view the Long Coc tea hill early in the morning, when one can feel the harmony between nature and humans, when timid rays of the sun try to penetrate silky layers of the morning mist. That’s when ladies and young girls start to come up these hills and their hands begin the magic dance among the tea buds still heavy with dewdrops.
The scenic charm of the tea hills, the happy hard-working life, full of positive optimism and the tea culture of the people of Phu Tho makes it an interesting and attractive destination for many genres of tourism.