(Baonghean.vn) -When the summer sun begins to shine brightly, people in Hung Hoa commune - Vinh city (Nghe An) are busy with the first sedge harvest season of the year.
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| Hung Hoa commune has a total of 65 hectares of sedge land with 600 households practicing this traditional profession, mainly concentrated in the two villages of Phong Hao and Phong Thuan. |
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| Sedge is harvested three times a year. In late March, early April, June and October (lunar calendar). This is the main harvest season for Mrs. Hung Hoa. |
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| After cutting the sedge, people must shake off the weeds and separate the short sedge layers. |
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| Next is splitting the sedge, which requires two people. This step takes a lot of time and effort, because if the sedge is not split in time, it will be very difficult to split when it withers. |
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| Mr. Chu Van Be (56 years old, Phong Hao hamlet) said: “Growing sedge and weaving mats is my family’s traditional occupation. With 3 hectares of sedge growing area, harvesting more than 7 tons each year, sedge has partly helped improve our lives, becoming the main source of income for our family”. |
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| After being split, the sedge will be dried in the sun for 3 days in the field to make the fibers lighter and softer. Then, the sedge is tied into bundles and brought home to be further classified, dried and sold to production facilities. |
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| After drying, sedge is purchased by traders in Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh for 6,500 VND per kilogram. |
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| Growing sedge, Hung Hoa people have had a long-standing profession of weaving mats. Through the skillful hands of Hung Hoa people, sedge plants have made beautiful, branded mats. |
Nguyen Giang, Vuong Van
