Making salt in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta province
Just follow these farmers to their salt fields to perceive their hard work.
According to archives on salt farming, the craft has been performed in many Vietnamese coastal provinces, including Bac Lieu Province in the Mekong Delta.
Prior to 1975, salt farming thrived robustly in Bac Lieu, with salt fields totaling nearly 6,500 hectares in area, and yielding between 40 and 50 metric tons, which was exported to many regional countries.
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| Salt fields in Vinh Thinh Commune, Hoa Binh District in Bac Lieu Province |
Salt produced in the province has long been reputed for its fine quality as it does not taste bitter or acrid and contains few impurities.
Apart from traditional production approaches, the provincial agricultural sector has recently adopted technological advances in salt farming in a bid to enhance productivity and quality and better cater to consumer demand for the necessity.
Farmers in Bac Lieu do a sole crop each year, which lasts from December to around May of the following year.
On December 12, 2013, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology recognized the geographical indication of edible Bac Lieu Salt as a national trademark.
Below are a series of photos by Phan Thanh Cuong showing salt farming in Mekong Delta.
These photos were one of the entries to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper's year-long competition themed “Vietnam – Country – People" concluding in October last year.
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| An official (L) examines the quality of the salt produced in Vinh Thinh Commune in Hoa Binh District, Bac Lieu Province. |
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| Traders purchase salt in bulk in the fields. |
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| A man checks the salinity of water and makes sure it reaches more than 15 percent before letting the water into the salt fields. |
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| A farmer operates a pump to adjust the water level so that salt can crystallize. |
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| Farmers have adopted the new technology of spreading plastic sheets so that collected salt will be refined, white and flawless. |
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| After raking the salt, farmers drain part of the water from the fields so that the salt will dry out. |
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| The “white pearls,” salt farmers’ fruit of hard labor |
