Ngoc Chien commune has over 18,460 hectares of forest, bordering Tram Tau and Pung Luong communes, Lao Cai province. Located at an altitude of over 2,000m above sea level, around Ta Chi Nhu mountain in Hoang Lien Son range. The climate here is always humid and cold, covered with clouds and fog, creating favorable conditions for the development of dynamics and plants.
Notable among them are the ancient sweet potato trees that have been preserved by the people of Nam Nghiep, Cham Pung, Pu Danh, Muong Chien, Na Tau villages for generations.
Located deep in the forest, the ancient tea trees have rough trunks covered with moss, many of which are so big that adults cannot hug them, 15 - 20m high. The sweet soup is as big as a stick, the sweet soup leaves are thick, small, the young tops shine with a purple color (green, purple).
Ancient tea trees are scattered on an area of over 1,000 hectares of forest, creating a "green treasure trove" among thousands of mountains and forests of Son La.
Mr. Thao A Vang, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Nam Nghiep village, said that agricultural experts have surveyed and initially assessed the Ngoc Chien ancient sweetener complex as one of the dragon fruit (or dragon fruit sweetener) varieties, living at an altitude of over 2,000m above sea level, winter air temperature below 10°C, summer below 20°C. Harvest the tea buds once a year around the beginning of spring.
There are currently 135 households, 100% of whom are Mong ethnic people. People are always conscious of protecting ancient tea forests, because this is not only a source of income for the people but also a natural heritage that remains to this day" - Mr. Vang shared.
Unlike the ancient snow sweet soup in Ta Xua or Muong Lam, Muong Do, the ancient sweet soup in Ngoc Chien grows intercropped in the forest, so it is difficult to distinguish. Forest goers only recognize it when they see white tea flowers with yellowish pisters falling to the roots. From March onwards, the trunk and branches are full of young shoots, signaling the tea harvest season.
People here said that sweet soup picked from these ancient trees when drunk initially had a slightly bitter taste, then cool and sweet after drinking.
Currently, Ngoc Chien commune has conducted a survey to determine the quantity and lifespan of tea trees. At the same time, zoning off areas capable of exploiting and processing products. The locality has also developed a plan to preserve genetic resources, combined with research on ecotourism development on the Ngoc Chien - Mu Cang Chai - Tram Tau route (old Yen Bai province).
With the mysterious beauty of the old forest, the hundred-year-old tea trunks covered with moss, rare green buds and the preservation of the Mong people, the ancient tea forest in Ngoc Chien is not only a natural resource but also the pride of the people here.
