Published:  00:00 Monday - December 17, 2007

A tea festival opened in the province of Ha Giang on December 16.

Three new records will be introduced at the week-long festival, including a tea cake weighing 300kg, a 500 year old tea plant and over 3,000 people drinking tea at the same time.

In particular an ancient tea plant that is growing 1,500-1,600m above sea level and has been closely connected to the ethnic minorities there for hundreds of years will attract a lot of attention at the festival and the area boasts a unique tea museum.

On the occasion, several tourist spots hope to draw large amounts of visitors like the Hung Cuong tea factory, the Thanh Ha hot springs resort, the Shan Tuyet tea region and the Pan Hou ecosystem area.

Ha Giang ranks third among the country’s largest tea-producing areas, preceded by Lam Dong and Thai Nguyen. The province is well known for special kinds of tea such as Shan Tuyet Cao Bo and Lung Phin.