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T

DEAR

TEAHOUSE:

A SPACE TO KEEP

TEA ALIVE IN

VIETNAM

W hen we talk about tea, the specific image

coming to our mind is the cultural drink
popular in the UK, China and other coun-
tries, where Chinese culture prevails and
Chinese people congregate, such as Japan, South Korea, Ma-
laysia and Singapore. However, the seventh largest tea produc-
er and the fifth tea exporter is barely mentioned: Vietnam.
In Vietnamese history, tea was once a symbol of aristoc-
racy and it has become a major agricultural export since the
1990s, proud of its high quality matching that of Taiwan tea.
However, green tea from Vietnam rarely resonates with the
world outside Asia.
The predicament is caused by the elder age of tea
drinkers in Vietnam, and mainly exacerbated by the lack of
tea culture. As most of the Vietnamese drink tea in the
simplest way by pouring water and tea leaves in a pot or a
cup, the stereotype that tea culture is others’ business is
further entrenched.

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