The place, also known as the Sa Pa tea hills since they are just eight kilometers from that town, have long been a popular stop for visitors, especially during the cherry blossom season from late December to January.
From above, the green tea fields and pink blossoms blend into a sunlit scene.
Sa Pa photographer Hieu captured these images one last time: The area is set to be redeveloped into an ecological urban zone.
According to Hieu and locals, the cherry blossom trees on the hills were brought from Yunnan, China, and planted along the paths between the tea fields.
The tea plantations are privately owned and not meant for tourism. Access is generally restricted, but the site is opened for free during the flowering season for visitors to take photos.
"On peak days hundreds of visitors line up, waiting their turn to go in," Hieu says.
Unlike most other tea slopes in northern Vietnam, O Quy Ho is known for being blanketed by seas of clouds.
Hieu visits this place every year during the flowering season to take photographs.
"The combination of cloud seas and cherry blossoms creates a scene that is hard to find anywhere else in Vietnam," he says.
The O Quy Ho tea hills began gaining attention in 2018 after some photographers happened to capture the blossoms and shared them on social media.
The weather here changes rapidly, sometimes as if there are four seasons in one day. The hills are shrouded in dense clouds at times and bathed in sunshine at others.
The O Quy Ho area has some 1,800 cherry blossom trees. On O Long tea hill, they are planted in long rows, creating a scene visitors love.
Cherry blossoms shed their leaves in October or November before soon starting to bloom.
Many travelers have voiced regret over the relocation of the tea hills, and the managing company has not yet said where the trees will be moved to.
A photo taken on Dec. 9 shows some trees have already been uprooted while others have had their branches pruned.
The O Quy Ho Tea Hill Ecological Urban Area project, to be developed by Hong Phong and Ecopark Hai Duong, will spread over 30 hectares and have housing, commercial facilities and social infrastructure. More than 403 townhouses and villas are planned on 16 ha, each with three to four stories.
