- Cau Dat tea hill sits roughly 20 to 25 km southeast of central Da Lat at about 1,650 m, a 45-minute to one-hour ride via National Road 20. Walking the tea rows costs nothing.
- The French opened a tea estate and factory here in 1927. Vietnam’s national tourism authority calls it the first tea factory in Southeast Asia, and the old factory now houses the Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum.
- Pair the fields with the Long Dinh Tea Museum on the same highway (08:00 to 16:30 daily, combo tickets of about 100,000 and 150,000 VND, guided tasting included).
- Go October to March for dry weather. Arrive by 5:00 to 5:30 am for the sea of clouds, or in January for cherry blossoms between the oolong rows.
- Liên Khương Airport reopened on 19 August 2026 after runway repairs, so flying in is again the fastest way to reach Da Lat.
Quick Facts: Cau Dat Tea Hill at a Glance
Cau Dat (Cầu Đất) combines open tea fields, a heritage factory turned museum, a second tea museum, wind turbines and hillside cafés. Figures were checked in October 2026.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country / province | Vietnam, Lâm Đồng province |
| Local area | Xuân Trường ward of Da Lat (the former Xuan Truong commune), Truong Tho hamlet |
| Distance from Da Lat | About 20 to 25 km southeast of the centre |
| Travel time | 45 minutes to one hour by road |
| Altitude | About 1,650 m above sea level |
| Plantation area | About 230 hectares |
| Teas grown | Oolong, green and black tea |
| Entry to the fields | Free |
| Best months | October to March (dry season) |
| Currency / language | Vietnamese dong (VND) / Vietnamese |
| Nearest airport | Liên Khương (DLI), about 28 km south of Da Lat |
Why Cau Dat Matters: Vietnam’s Oldest Working Tea Landscape
Most visitors come for the view of clipped tea rows under morning cloud, but the history is the bigger story. In 1927 French planters built a tea factory here and named it the Cau Dat L’Arbre Broyé Tea Department, according to Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. The estate originally produced black tea for export to France and the rest of Europe, and the factory is still described as the oldest in Southeast Asia.
The plantation was later renamed Cau Dat Farm. Instead of demolishing the original factory, the company converted it into the Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum, which opened in early 2021 after about three years of work. You can walk from the fields into the building where leaf from the same hills was processed nearly a century ago.
The climate explains the tea. At around 1,650 m the area stays cool all year, and nightly mist settles on the bushes, so leaves grow slowly on steep ground. The Vietnam News Agency describes Cau Dat as one of the oldest tea-growing areas in Lâm Đồng, now irrigated with water-saving systems and centred on oolong. Our Vietnam tea travel guide maps how it fits with the other regions.
What You Can Do at Cau Dat
Walk the tea rows
The fields are open access with no ticket. Paths run between the rows. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light. Visit before 9:00 am or after 4:00 pm if photography matters to you.
Cloud hunting at dawn
The sea of clouds is the reason many people set an alarm for 4:00 am. Mist fills the valleys below the tea hill and the sun rises over it. Arrive no later than 5:00 to 5:30 am. Several cafés and viewpoints on the hill charge around 120,000 VND per person for a dawn seat, usually including a basic breakfast and a drink. Clouds are most reliable in the dry season, especially January to March.
Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum
Inside the 1927 factory, six themed rooms trace the estate’s history. Highlights include the Historical Box room of vintage dryers and screening machines, close to 100 years old; the Quintessence 1,650 metres room with nine video screens of the tea hills; and the 1 Tôm 2 Lá room, named for the classic bud-and-two-leaves pluck, built from more than 100 tea cubes holding about 350 kg of tea. A final tasting room serves green, black and oolong tea from the farm. Reported hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Confirm the ticket price at the gate, since published figures vary.
Long Dinh Tea Museum
On National Road 20 in the Trạm Hành area, about 20 km from Da Lat, Long Dinh is run by an oolong producer that has farmed these highlands for decades. It opened in early 2023 and holds about 200 artefacts: maps, paintings, sculptures, processing tools, a 100-year-old tea tree and antique machinery. Unlike the self-paced fields, the ticket covers a guided tour and ends with a tasting led by a tea specialist.
Wind turbines, cafés and orchards
A line of tall wind turbines stands on the ridge above the fields and makes a strong backdrop. Hillside cafés sell tea and coffee with valley views, and a persimmon orchard turns gold late in the year.
The Two Tea Museums Compared
The two museums are different places with different owners, and both fit into one morning.
| Feature | Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum | Long Dinh Tea Museum |
|---|---|---|
| Opened | Early 2021 | Early 2023 |
| Building | The original 1927 French tea factory | Purpose-built museum among the plantations |
| Strength | Heritage machinery close to 100 years old, factory atmosphere | Guided storytelling, about 200 artefacts, 100-year-old tea tree |
| Tasting | Tasting room with green, black and oolong tea | Specialist-led tasting at the end of the guided tour |
| Hours | About 8:00 am to 4:00 pm | 08:00 to 16:30 daily |
| Ticket | Check at the gate | About 100,000 VND (entry and basic tasting) or 150,000 VND (guided experience, tasting, tea egg and cold drink) |
| Time needed | About 1 hour | 1.5 to 2.5 hours |
Short on time? Choose the old factory for history or Long Dinh for a guided oolong explanation. Our Vietnam tea tour itineraries show how to string Cau Dat together with the northern regions.
Teas of Cau Dat and What They Taste Like
Cau Dat started as a black-tea estate for European buyers. Today the hill grows oolong, green and black tea, and oolong is the product the area is best known for. The cool nights and slow growth at 1,650 m favour a fragrant, lightly sweet highland oolong, and that is the style the local museums and cafés pour.
- Oolong: rolled leaf that opens into whole leaves. Expect a pale gold to golden-amber liquor with a floral aroma and a smooth, sweet finish. This is the tea the museums and cafés push hardest, and the best one to buy.
- Green tea: fresh and grassy in the cup. Taste it beside the oolong to see how much processing changes leaf from the same hills.
- Black tea: the estate’s original export product. Tasting it in the old factory is a direct link to the 1927 operation.
If you are travelling the length of the country, taste Cau Dat oolong against the green tea of Thái Nguyên, Vietnam’s green tea capital. The contrast shows how much altitude and processing shape a Vietnamese cup.
Best Time to Visit Cau Dat
Da Lat is cool all year, but rain changes the experience at the tea hill. Here is a month-by-month view built from the sources in this guide.
| Period | Conditions | What it is good for |
|---|---|---|
| October to November | Dry season begins | Clear rows, comfortable walking, persimmons ripening |
| Late December to late January | Dry and cool | Cherry blossoms between the tea rows, peaking in the first two weeks of January |
| February to March | Dry, cold dawns | The most reliable cloud hunting and the best photography light |
| April to September | Wetter months | Greener hills and fewer visitors; afternoon rain can cut walks short |
The cherry trees around the hill were planted more than 30 years ago, according to residents quoted by Viet Nam News, and in 2025 they flowered early, from around 14 January, two weeks before Lunar New Year. Dates shift each year. Tết brings heavy domestic crowds, so arrive at dawn if your visit falls in that week. For mist-season tea hills elsewhere in the country, see our guide to the tea valleys of Sơn La.
How to Get to Cau Dat
Getting to Da Lat
Liên Khương International Airport closed on 4 March 2026 for runway repairs and reopened on 19 August 2026, reports Viet Nam News. Flights are again expected from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and other cities. The airport is about 30 km south of Da Lat; a taxi costs about 250,000 to 350,000 VND and the airport bus about 40,000 VND one way, per Vinpearl’s Dalat airport guide.
By road, Da Lat is roughly 300 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Sleeper buses and limousine vans take six to eight hours and cost about 250,000 to 350,000 VND. Cam Ranh airport near Nha Trang is about 160 km away, three to four hours by road.
From Da Lat to the tea hill
| Option | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rented scooter | About 120,000 to 200,000 VND per day | Most flexible; about 45 minutes from Da Lat Market. Dawn rides are cold and dark. |
| Group cloud-hunting tour | From about 199,000 VND | Early pickup, roughly 4:00 to 8:30 am; versions with breakfast or a café stop cost more. |
| Private car, full day | About 700,000 to 900,000 VND | Best for families or groups combining both museums. |
Drivers follow National Road 20 southeast out of the city towards Trại Mát and Trạm Hành. If you ride yourself, carry a warm layer, gloves and a light, and allow extra time in the dark before dawn.
Where to Stay
Most travellers base themselves in Da Lat and visit Cau Dat as a day or half-day trip. For a dawn cloud hunt, stay on the southeast side of town to shave minutes off the ride along National Road 20.
Some homestays sit in the hills around Xuân Trường and Trạm Hành; confirm heating, as nights at 1,650 m are cold. If you want a dedicated tea-estate stay, Vietnam has several outside Da Lat, compared in our guide to tea estate stays in Vietnam.
Costs and Budgeting
Cau Dat is one of the cheapest tea experiences in Asia because the fields are free. Your spending is transport, a dawn viewpoint, museum tickets and tea to take home. Prices below were reported in 2025 and 2026 and are in Vietnamese dong.
| Item | Budget day | Comfortable day |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | Scooter, 120,000 to 200,000 | Private car, 700,000 to 900,000 (shared by the group) |
| Dawn viewpoint or café | About 120,000 with breakfast | About 120,000 with breakfast |
| Long Dinh Tea Museum | About 100,000 (combo 1) | 150,000 (combo 2) |
| Tea fields | Free | Free |
| Approximate total per person, excluding tea purchases | About 340,000 to 420,000 | About 970,000 to 1,170,000 for a solo traveller in a private car |
A group tour from about 199,000 VND is cheaper than a solo private car but fixes your timetable.
Sample Itineraries
Half day: dawn and the old factory
- 4:00 am: leave Da Lat by scooter or tour pickup.
- 5:00 to 7:00 am: cloud hunting and breakfast at a hillside viewpoint.
- 7:00 to 8:00 am: walk the tea rows in low light, then the wind-turbine ridge.
- 8:00 to 9:00 am: Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum and tasting room. Back in Da Lat before lunch.
Full day: both museums
- Dawn as above.
- Mid-morning: Cau Dat Farm Ancient Tea Museum.
- Late morning to early afternoon: Long Dinh Tea Museum guided tour and specialist tasting, lunch nearby.
- Afternoon: hillside café, tea shopping, golden-hour light on the rows from about 4:00 pm.
Practical Tips for First-Timers
- Dress for cold: dawn at 1,650 m feels far colder than Ho Chi Minh City. Bring a jacket even in the dry season.
- Book the dawn viewpoint or tour the day before in peak season, especially in January and around Tết.
- Do not pick leaves or step into the rows; follow the paths and the workers’ lead.
- Combine Cau Dat with northern regions on a longer trip: Mộc Châu’s plateau tea hills make a strong contrast in landscape and style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an entrance fee for Cau Dat tea hill?
No, walking the Cau Dat tea fields is free. You pay only for extras: dawn viewpoints or cafés charge around 120,000 VND per person with a basic breakfast, Long Dinh Tea Museum combos cost about 100,000 or 150,000 VND, and transport from Da Lat costs 120,000 VND upward for a scooter. Confirm the old factory museum’s ticket at the gate.
How far is Cau Dat tea hill from Da Lat?
Cau Dat tea hill is about 20 to 25 km southeast of central Da Lat, a 45-minute to one-hour trip along National Road 20. Riders usually leave Da Lat Market around 4:00 am for cloud hunting. A private car for the day costs about 700,000 to 900,000 VND, while group tours start from about 199,000 VND.
What time should I arrive for cloud hunting at Cau Dat?
Arrive at Cau Dat by 5:00 to 5:30 am to see the sea of clouds before sunrise burns it off. Leave Da Lat around 4:00 am to allow for the dark, cold ride. Clouds are most reliable in the dry season, especially January to March, and you should bring a warm jacket and a torch.
When do the cherry blossoms bloom at Cau Dat?
Cherry blossoms at Cau Dat usually bloom from late December to late January, peaking in the first two weeks of January. The trees, planted among the oolong rows more than 30 years ago, flowered early in 2025 from about 14 January. Exact dates vary each year, so check Da Lat news before booking your trip.
Is Cau Dat tea hill worth visiting?
Yes, Cau Dat is worth a half day for tea travellers because it combines free open fields, a 1927 French factory turned museum and a guided oolong museum within about 20 km of Da Lat. It suits visitors who want history and tasting, not only photos. Go at dawn in the dry season for the strongest experience.