Stage 1: The root of Vietnamese tea history firstly stem from The Hung Kings.
A number of studies about Vietnam tea industry have been carried out and shown that Vietnam has been influenced in one way or another when China occupied Vietnam in the 10th century. These two countries shared nearly 1500km border through a mountainous area that seperated Vietnam’s northerly provinces from Yunnan Province in the West and the Zhuang regions of Guangxi in the East. After 1000 years being dominated, Vietnam eventually came independence but a love for tea remained.
Stage 2: Under 1000 years of Chinese rule
During 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, then boiled and enjoyed, most often as a part of social engagements. In many cases, the tea leaves were also ground and fermented to produce liquor that was consumed widely throughout northern mountainous regions, tea was being harvested solely for consumption on a personal basis.
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Stage 3: Vietnamese tea culture along French colonial time (1882 – 1945)
Large-scale tea production truely began when the French set domination in land Vietnam and exploited Vietnamese agriculture for colonial different purposes. The French began purchasing small amounts of Vietnamese tea and discovering appropriate areas for tea production during the 19th century, and eventually decided to establish Vietnam’s first tea plantation in 1890 in Tinh Cuong, Phu Tho province, still a major center of tea production today, and it consisted only about 60 hectares at first. The French continued production into the following decades of colonization and expanding their production to other areas of the country. In 1918, the French founded Phu Tho Agriculture and Forestry Research Center located in Phu Ho with the aim of further effective growing conditions and methods, but more importantly showed international interest in Vietnamese tea. The French built 3 tea factories using natural withering method, using British mortar and applied the agricultural techniques and advanced processing technology of Indonesia and Srilanka. From then, Vietnamese tea production began to increase rapidly and began exporting green tea, black tea and special Vietnamese varieties of tea to France, other countries in Western Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. By 1945, tea plants covered roughly 13,585 hectares throughout the country with a total production of 6000 tons of dried tea annually.
Stage 4: Vietnamese tea history in the period (1945 -1975)
After 1945, Vietnamese tea witnessed a dramatic decrease in investment and production because farms and processing facilities were severely damaged, not producing continuously in the North and South of Vietnam. Additionally, domestic demand for tea remained low during this period. Tea was largely a luxury beverage during wartime so it prevented large portions of the Vietnamese population from purchasing tea. With the help of the Soviet Union, Vietnamese people rebuilt many factories and farms and gained production back.
Stage 5: 1975 – At the end of 19th century
Following Vietnam’s liberalization in 1975 and the early 1990s, the tea industry began to flourishly developed. After 1975, the Soviet Union with the help of socialism created a reliable market for the export of black tea. In addition to providing a market for Vietnamese tea, they also provided funding for the improvement of many tea-processing facilities, mostly in Lam Dong province where a large portion of Vietnamese black tea production took place. In 1991, the Soviet Union suddenly collapsed. This major change forced Vietnam to shift tea production from essentially a production flow to market centered production and export. This change came relatively soon after the market oriented reforms of Doi Moi. Many new joint venture companies were established between Vietnam and countries such as China, India and Iraq that helped to boost production and investment.
Stage 6: At the beginning of 21th century until now
Currently there are 34 provinces in Vietnam that are growing tea with a total area of roughly 130,000 hectares. Many areas of the country are incredibly well suited for production so many new investors jumped to explore and invest. In terms of world market integration, Vietnam is relatively new compared to its major competitors. However, after much effort, Vietnamese tea now ranks 7th in global tea production. Vietnam’s tea products have now been exported to 74 countries and territories. Vietnam has gained more of a presence globally, many countries are beginning to see the potential that Vietnam holds for production and take interest in investment. There will be good predict for the future of Vietnam tea yield.
