Tea, a beverage revered for centuries across cultures, holds a special place in Vietnam’s rich tapestry of traditions and heritage. Renowned for its coffee, Vietnam’s tea culture is equally fascinating, boasting a legacy that spans generations.

Beginning early on in Vietnamese history, far before the periods of Chinese domination, tea was consumed widely by the peasant population in its purest and simplest form. Fresh tea leaves were taken from trees in the forest or personal gardens and macerated, then boiled and enjoyed, most often as a part of social engagements. At this point in Vietnamese history, tea was being harvested solely for consumption on a personal basis, not for sale or export. Large-scale tea production did not begin in Vietnam until the French arrived and began taking interest in Vietnamese agriculture for colonial purposes. The French began purchasing small amounts of Vietnamese tea and surveying suitable areas for tea production throughout the 19th century, and eventually established Vietnam’s first tea plantation in 1890. 

Currently there are 34 provinces in Vietnam that are growing tea with a total area of roughly 130,000 hectares devoted to production. Tea production has also seen a marked increase in yield over the past several decades with current levels hovering around 7.15 tons per hectare of wet tea per year, total export quantity 121,000 tons and turnover more than 210 million USD per year.