Salt farmers cope with fierce sun

A salt-making village in Nam Dinh Province is actually benefiting from the scorching heat.

The farmers welcome the heat

In Hai Ly Commune, there are only a few households that are still sticking to this hard job. There are 15 steps in the salt-making process. The farmers must get up since 4 am and often work under the hottest hours, until the evening.

64-year-old Nguyen Viet Hong said he still had to take long breaks in between despite being used to the harsh weather and hard jobs a long time ago. When the temperatures are over 40 degrees, Hong and his wife are able to collect 200kg of wet salt a day. Despite the hard work, a kilo of salt is only sold for VND2,000.

Nguyen Van Hien, another farmer, said there were 120 days that the temperatures were over 40 degrees and brought out great output. The average temperatures for the rest of the year are 33-36 degrees and they will see less output. Their livelihoods depend wholly on the sun.

Long hours under the sun with small profits are why more and more people are quitting the job.

Vice Chairman of Hai Ly Commune People's Committee Vu Viet Ly said salt-making was one of three main jobs in the area. Hai Ly had 97 hectares of salt 10 years ago and farmers were able to earn a stable income. As of now, the total salt flats have reduced to 40 hectares.

Some photos of the farmers on their salt fields in Nam Dinh Province:

Working on the salt field