Vast tea plantations of Thanh Chuong

(Baonghean) - I was somewhat surprised to see the boats on Thanh An Lake (Thanh Chuong) because just over half a year ago, when I visited, the lake was quite calm. Occasionally, there were only a few small boats belonging to tea pickers. However, now there are nearly a dozen boats serving tourists at the two docks. The praise from the media has transformed a lake area with charming tea islands into a popular tourist attraction.

Not long before, this beautiful tea-growing region was still "dormant," and I had the opportunity to visit. From the irrigation dam, which dates back nearly half a century, I took a dugout canoe to the tea island. After a late-season flood, the lake was full of water and brimming with life.

After a long drought, the tea hills along the lake and on the small islands rising in the middle of the lake are sprouting new, vibrant green leaves. The tea islands reflect their image onto the calm, still lake. I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at such a beautiful landscape.

A view of the tea plantation area (Thanh An commune, Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Sach Nguyen

In fact, it was originally just an irrigation project. For decades, since its construction in the 1960s, the Thanh An irrigation reservoir only had an earthen dam reinforced with bamboo, and it was only concreted in 1996. This 84-hectare irrigation reservoir is the main source of irrigation for more than 700 hectares of rice paddies in Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes, Thanh Chuong district.

When the irrigation dam was built, surely few people imagined that this place would become a tea-growing region and a beautiful, peaceful landscape like this. More than a year ago, on a whim, I brought up the idea of ​​developing the tea-growing area into a tourist destination.

Mr. Vo Van Son, the manager of this irrigation project, shared that it was quite difficult, even though the local government, and even a few foreign delegations, had come to survey the site.

However, just about six months later, during the April 30th holiday, a large number of people flocked to visit the tea island. The number of tourists visiting Thanh An Lake also remained consistent throughout the past summer. Some households in the commune invested in motorboats, raised chickens and pigs, and opened restaurants to serve tourists.

We returned to the tea-growing island, and as we passed along the Ho Chi Minh Highway in Thanh An commune, we came across a poster advertising this newly emerged tourist destination. For over a kilometer along the paved road to the boat dock, I noticed that the tea hills here had undergone a spectacular "resurgence." Lush green hills stretched across the horizon, extending all the way to the water's edge. These hills surrounded the vast lake.

Locals harvest tea on the tea island area.

The weather had turned cold, and it was a workday, so the boat dock of Mr. Nguyen Viet Thang, residing in Team 13, Thanh An commune, seemed deserted. With no customers going to the island, Mr. Thang took the opportunity to go fishing in the lake. The aquatic life here mainly consists of tilapia, carp, and catfish, which the Irrigation Department releases annually. Mr. Thang said that in the past, he only specialized in fishing and only used rowing boats.

For over six months now, the number of people visiting the lake and tea island has increased, so he and his relatives pooled their capital to buy boats and start a service transporting tourists to the island. His group consists of eight people with four newly built motorboats, all equipped with life jackets.

Throughout the past summer, people flocked to the tea island every day. The largest group was teachers from near and far, taking advantage of their summer break to travel. Through media and social networks, tourists from all over came, creating a vibrant summer on the lake and small islands. Many residents living along the lake also seized this opportunity to do business. They even bought DVD players and large batteries to provide karaoke services for guests right on the boats. Each large boat could accommodate more than a dozen people, forming a singing group.

Although winter is just beginning, a certain number of tourists still visit on weekends and holidays. They are mostly civil servants from government agencies who take advantage of their days off to relax.

Bring the goats out to raise on the tea plantation island.

During our leisurely boat ride, we met Mr. Tran Van Thanh, who was rowing a boat carrying six goats to the tea plantation island. He is registered as a resident of Team 3, Thanh An commune, located more than 3km from the lake. Since 2010, he has moved his house to live right next to the lake to better care for his 4.5-hectare tea plantation. He said that he harvests about eight tea crops per year. Each harvest, after deducting expenses, brings in tens of millions of dong. His family's estimated average annual income is nearly 200 million dong.

...Looking up at the tea islands amidst the vast lake is a spectacular sight, inspiring many photographers. Captivated by the aerial photographs taken by a group of photographers, I returned to the Thanh An tea island area. Local photographers call these tea islands the "Ha Long Bay of Nghe An." But this place offers more than just the tranquility of the water and the charming, lush tea hills.

Exploring the working life of people in this vast tea-growing region is also fascinating. In the gentle midday sun, the sound of tea-picking machines disrupts the stillness of the green lakes and hills, creating a captivating scene. This season, the locals have had another bountiful tea harvest.

Vi Phuong