Suoi Giang

Suoi Giang sits at about 1,400 metres in Yen Bai and its tea is not grown in bushes: the trees are shan tuyet, an old large-leaf variety, growing as actual trees several metres tall that pickers climb, with a substantial number of them estimated at over two hundred years old and some claimed at far more. The leaves carry a white down on the underside that gives the tea its name - snow on the mountain. Picking is done by H'mong families who have worked the trees for generations, and the tea is processed in the village and sold at prices well above ordinary Vietnamese green tea.

What you actually see

• Tea from trees, not bushes - shan tuyet, climbed to pick.
• Trees estimated over two hundred years - some claimed much older.
• White down on the leaves - which gives the tea its name.
• H'mong families working them - across generations.

When to go

March to October for picking; the village is there year round. A full day.

Honest expectations

Age claims for individual trees vary between sources and should be taken loosely. The road up is steep and slow. Facilities are homestays and small shops. Mist and cold are common at this altitude.

Nearby

Van Chan is below; Mu Cang Chai and its terraces are north-west.