People in My Bang commune (Yen Son) harvest tea by machine.

Having just finished cutting and selling the first batch of spring tea, Mr. Pham Van Luan, village 3 Lang Bat, Tan Thanh commune (Ham Yen) was very excited when this harvest, the output of fresh tea buds reached more than 20 tons, equivalent to 3,000 tons. 5 quintals of dry tea are purchased by traders right at home at a price of VND200,000 per kg of dry tea (an increase of VND10,000 per kg compared to last year's tea crop). With this price, minus costs, he still makes a profit of more than VND40 million per 3 hectares per harvest.

Mr. Luan said that from the end of the 11th lunar month of the previous year, he started cutting branches and creating canopies to focus on taking care of the tree, helping the tea best absorb nutrients to grow. The spring tea crop is the beginning of the year's harvest cycle, which is very important. Although the output of the spring tea crop is not equal to the main crop, the flavor of spring tea is said to be the best of the year because it crystallizes "the air and the taste of the earth in spring".

Quickly harvesting the young buds of the spring tea crop, Mr. Pham Van Thach, Vinh Tan village, Tan Trao commune (Son Duong) enthusiastically said: at the beginning of the year, the weather was favorable, with a period of drizzle, so more than 5 acres of tea from his family produces even, thicker buds. For more than a week now, every day my family has divided ourselves into harvesting. The spring tea crop here is always fragrant and delicious, very popular with traders and customers, so the selling price is also higher than other crops of the year. It is expected that by the end of the spring season, the family will harvest about 1 quintal of fresh buds, earning more than VND4 million.

Mr. Pham Van Minh, Head of the Tea Cooperative Group of Cay village, Minh Thanh commune (Son Duong) checks the quality of tea buds.

Mr. Pham Van Minh, Head of the Tea Cooperative Group of Cay village, Minh Thanh commune (Son Duong) has been attached to tea trees for more than 20 years. He said that at this time when other crops are in the care period, tea growers can earn money. The cooperative group has 6 hectares of harvested tea. Favorable weather along with intensive investment has helped tea trees grow and develop well, so tea buds are also more uniform and of better quality than previous years, promising a successful harvest year.

Currently, the largest tea production companies in the province such as: Tan Trao Tea Joint Stock Company, My Lam Tea Joint Stock Company, Song Lo Tea Joint Stock Company have started purchasing spring tea. Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung, Director of Tan Trao Tea Joint Stock Company (Son Duong), said that over 850 hectares of tea of the company in association with people this spring is growing well. Tea growers commit to strictly comply with the process of cutting, fertilizing, caring for and harvesting tea to meet quality and safety standards. Right from the beginning of the spring tea season, the entire team of officers, employees, and workers of the company came out with a new spirit, the spirit to immediately get to work.

The province has over 8,300 hectares of tea, concentrated mainly in Son Duong, Yen Son, Ham Yen, Na Hang and Lam Binh districts. The average yield of tea across the province reaches over 85.3 tons per hectare, and the annual output of fresh tea buds reaches over 69,000 tons. The province has 30 tea products rated OCOP from 3 to 4 stars, many of which are popular with consumers. At this time, across the tea hills in the province, farmers are excitedly harvesting spring tea.

The spring tea season lasts until mid-April. Currently, wherever people pick tea, businesses and cooperatives come and buy it. At the same time, support people with care methods to improve productivity and quality in the next generations. Tea continues to assert itself as one of the key crops, helping people increase their income and contributing to promoting local economic and social development.