Nghe An salt workers work hard in the 40 degree heat at noon.

Tien Hung• DNUM_ADZAGZCACB 12:50

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite working hard in the midday sun, salt farmers only earn a few tens of thousands of dong per day.

With nearly 60 hectares, Dien Kim is currently one of the largest salt fields in Nghe An province. Despite the hot weather of over 40 degrees Celsius, at noon, many salt workers in Dien Kim commune (Dien Chau district) went to work in the fields. Photo: Tien Hung

For salt farmers, "the skin must be scorched by the sun to produce salt", so to keep up with the sun, some households with many fields must start working at 12 noon, while those with few fields can work more leisurely, starting at around 1:30 pm. "Sometimes the temperature in the salt fields is over 45 degrees Celsius. But we still have to work. Because that's the way this job is, without the sun, we can't make salt. Many people also faint because they are shocked by the sun," said Mr. Bui Van Tu (68 years old). Photo: Tien Hung

To make salt, there are many steps that take a day. First, the sand is dried in the middle of a flat field, then salt water is poured on it. Photo: Tien Hung

Then, this layer of sand is piled up in a corner next to the brick tank. Photo: Tien Hung

The sand layer is poured into a brick tank, also known as a "filter tank" to compact it, and salt water is then added to begin the salt filtration process. Photo: Tien Hung

From the brick tank, the salt water will flow through a pipe into a well. The filtered water has a higher salinity than seawater, called "chat water". In the photo, a man is scooping chat water from the well to prepare to pour it into the drying area. Normally, drying in the morning will crystallize into salt by the afternoon. This is also the final step in making salt. Photo: Tien Hung

Working in the midday sun made the sweat drip, soaking through the many layers of clothes of the woman over 60 years old. "Working hard all day, but calculating, I only earned a few tens of thousands. Because a quintal of salt only sells for more than 100,000 VND, and it takes several people a day to finish it," said Ms. Truong Thi Xuan, 61 years old. Photo: Tien Hung

In the evening, households begin to harvest salt. Due to the meager income, only a few tens of thousands for a day of hard work in the salt fields, the salt making profession is currently mostly done by older workers. Photo: Tien Hung

Mr. Bui Son Cong - Vice Chairman of Dien Kim Commune People's Committee said that the whole commune has more than 700 households receiving land for salt production. However, currently, there are only about 200 households with more than 400 workers still working in this profession. "Many households have given up because the price of salt is too low. A household here makes about 3 tons of salt per year on average, and if the price is good, it can only sell for less than 5 million VND. With 5 million VND per year, it is impossible to make a living from this profession," said Mr. Cong. Photo: Tien Hung