Long Coc Tea Hills

Long Coc in Phu Tho is a landscape of many hundreds of low rounded hills, each one planted with tea in concentric rows following the contours, packed together across the district. At dawn in the cooler months mist settles in the hollows between them and the hilltops stand out of it, which is the image that made the place known to photographers in the last decade. The tea is worked by local families, mostly Muong, and processed in the district. There is no formal visitor operation - viewpoints are on farm tracks, and people arrive before sunrise and leave when the mist lifts.

What you actually see

• Hundreds of rounded planted hills - tea in contour rows.
• Mist filling the hollows - the hilltops standing above it at dawn.
• Muong families working them - the local growers.
• No formal visitor set-up - viewpoints on farm tracks.

When to go

October to December and March to April, before sunrise. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The mist is weather-dependent and many mornings produce nothing. Tracks are muddy and unsigned. There are no facilities. Walking into the rows damages the bushes and is not welcome.

Nearby

Xuan Son national park is west; Hung Kings temple is east.