Viet Tu: Striving for Exquisite Tea
Viet Tu Tea, a Vietnamese tea brand, garnered significant attention and praise from international partners and visitors at the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO 2024) and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) held in Nanning, Guangxi, China.
The Viet Tu Tea brand was founded by Ha Ngoc Quynh, a dedicated farmer and one of Vietnam’s few remaining tea artisans. Even in her 70s, she continues to lead and expand organic tea cultivation. In 2004, after more than three decades of working in tea farming and establishing a tea cooperative, Quynh introduced the Ngoc Thuy tea variety, originally from Taiwan’s coastal tea-growing region to Duong Hoa Commune, Hai Ha District, Quang Ninh Province. Additionally, she founded Thuan Quynh Ltd., laying the foundation for the development of coastal tea-growing regions.
Starting as a small, family tea business with basic processing, the company has evolved into a large-scale operation. The company now implements a stringent, closed-loop production model, managing all aspects from cultivation and care through to processing and packaging, ensuring the delivery of superior tea. Cultivated in Quang Ninh, the tea plants have thrived, producing a flavor that is distinctly their own.
After years of dedication and effort, Quynh introduced the region’s first signature tea variety, My Nhan Duong Hoa. This exceptional tea was created in collaboration with Chuang Cheng Lang, a renowned Taiwanese tea artisan with over 40 years of experience in the industry. Made from the Ngọc Thuy variety, it features one bud and two leaves, with five-colored dry tea leaves that are slender and elegantly shaped like crane wings. When brewed, the tea has a delicate pale orange-yellow hue and a sweet fragrance with subtle hints of the white Magnolia champaca flower.
Following the success of her first tea product and her deep belief in tea’s value, Quynh reinvested her entire fortune into expanding tea plantations and production facilities. In 2021, she officially launched the Viet Tu Tea brand with the message: “The Premium Tea of the Vietnamese People”
By 2022, Viet Tu opened its tea house showroom in Hanoi. The following year, it introduced new tea lines, including honey black tea, Oolong honey tea infused with Tay Ho (West Lake) lotus, and green Oolong tea infused with lotus.
In 2024, Viet Tu expanded its tea chain in Hanoi, becoming Vietnam’s first tea producer to fully embrace organic production. Today, the brand operates as a closed-loop system, carefully managing every step of the tea-making journey from the hills to the teacup.
Dedicated to preserving the family’s tea-making tradition, Ha Ngoc Quynh passed down her expertise to her daughter and son-in-law, Pham Thi Thanh Huong and Duong Tu Cuong who embrace a fresh, modern approach to developing Viet Tu Tea.
Pham Thi Thanh Huong, CEO of Viet Tu’s Duong Hoa Tea, said, “We want to introduce to Duong Hoa tea, Hai Ha tea, and Quang Ninh tea to the world . That’s why we are committed to officially exporting made-in-Vietnam tea. Using Duong Hoa tea, a variety infused with the essence of the coastal region, we aim to tell the story of Vietnamese tea, build a century-old brand, and create a lasting tea legacy”.
Viet Tu now offers nearly 20 different tea products, including Duong Hoa green tea, Duong Hoa Oolong tea, Duong Hoa white peony tea, Bich Xuan Loan Duong Hoa, My Nhan Duong Hoa, Duong Hoa black Tea and Duong Hoa honey black tea among others.
Story: Bich Van - Photos: Viet Cuong/VNP & Files - Translated by Truc Linh