Tiếng Việt
Mention Gia Lai, and many people immediately think of Bien Ho (T’Nung Lake) — one of the Central Highlands’ most famous scenic spots. But few know that right beside this lake sits a tea hillside carrying a story that spans nearly a century — and that this same area is where Truong Duong Group and Tam Phuc Minh chose to develop a dedicated golden camellia growing region, laying the groundwork for products later sold under the KINKA brand.
The Central Highlands’ First Tea Plantation
According to local historical sources, around the 1920s, the French noticed that Gia Lai’s highland climate shared several traits with the climate of Europe, and, given the favorable location right beside Bien Ho (T’Nung Lake), decided to build the Central Highlands region’s first large-scale tea plantation right here. This is considered the founding milestone of tea cultivation and processing tradition in the Pleiku, Gia Lai area.
From a French-Era Plantation to Today’s Bien Ho Tea Hills
Over nearly a century, most of the French-era structures here no longer stand, but the tea-growing area has been maintained and expanded across generations. Today, the area is known as Bien Ho Che (“Sea Lake Tea,” or the Bien Ho tea hills), managed and cultivated by the Bien Ho Tea Company across a span of thousands of hectares — and has become one of the most popular attractions for visitors to Pleiku.
The most distinctive remaining trace from the early period is a row of centuries-old pine trees lining the entrance to the tea hills, along with Buu Minh Pagoda, situated at the end of the road — two landmarks familiar to anyone who has visited Bien Ho Che.
What This Means for the Golden Camellia Growing Region Here
It’s in this area, with its long tea tradition, that Truong Duong Group and Tam Phuc Minh chose, starting in 2017, to develop a dedicated golden camellia growing region — spanning more than 13 hectares in Chu Pah district, near the Chu Dang Ya volcano and Bien Ho — laying the groundwork for golden camellia products later sold under the KINKA brand. Inheriting land that has already been connected to tea cultivation across generations carries meaning not just in terms of soil and climate proven over time, but also as a continuation of the Central Highlands’ long-running cultural and historical tea story.
(Learn more about the growing region and natural conditions here in: “What Climate and Soil Does Gia Lai Golden Camellia Tea Grow In?“)
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Bien Ho tea plantation built? According to local historical sources, around the 1920s, during the French colonial era — the Central Highlands region’s first large-scale tea plantation.
Who manages the Bien Ho tea hills today? Currently managed and cultivated by the Bien Ho Tea Company, spanning thousands of hectares, and also a popular tourist attraction in Pleiku.
Is Gia Lai’s golden camellia growing region located within the French-built Bien Ho tea plantation area? This growing region sits in the area adjacent to Bien Ho and the Chu Dang Ya volcano, in Chu Pah district — the same broader geographic area with Gia Lai’s long tea-growing tradition, developed by Truong Duong Group and Tam Phuc Minh into a dedicated golden camellia growing region starting in 2017 (with the KINKA product brand launching later).
Conclusion
The nearly century-long history of the Bien Ho tea plantation shows that Gia Lai’s land already had natural conditions suited to tea cultivation, long before it became Truong Duong Group and Tam Phuc Minh’s golden camellia growing region. This is part of the story behind what makes Gia Lai golden camellia tea distinctive — not just a new product, but a continuation of the Central Highlands’ long-standing tea heritage.
Continue reading: Gia Lai Golden Camellia Tea (KINKA): The Complete Guide to Benefits, Brewing & Where to Buy | What Climate and Soil Does Gia Lai Golden Camellia Tea Grow In? | Why Was Chu Dang Ya, Gia Lai Chosen to Develop a Medicinal Herb Region?
KINKA – Experience Every Drop of Happiness (A brand of Truong Duong Group)
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