Dong leaves and giang tubes from the highlands of Nghe An are hurriedly brought downstream to serve Tet.

Xuan Hoang - Quang An• January 31, 2021 07:39

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, people in the highlands of Nghe An are rushing to get "forest gifts" to serve the Tet market.

Every year, from the 15th of December, ethnic minorities in the highlands of Nghe An, most of them from the districts of Que Phong, Ky Son, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong... go into the forest to collect dong leaves to sell for Tet. Some families use their garden land to grow dong leaves, bringing in a significant source of income. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Natural dong leaves usually grow deep in the forest, in places with high humidity, especially along streams, so people have to walk for hours to get there. Each day, a person can collect about 1,000 dong leaves. Photo: Quang An

The price of dong leaves purchased by traders depends on each year. This year, traders buy from people from 300 - 400 VND/leaf. Each person can earn 300 - 400 thousand VND/day from picking dong leaves. Photo: Quang An

Bamboo tubes used to split bamboo strips to wrap banh chung are also indispensable for every family on the eve of Tet. Therefore, the highlanders take advantage of the days before Tet to go into the forest to find bamboo bushes with beautiful straight trees to sell to traders. Not only men but also women participate in sawing and cutting bamboo tubes. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Each bamboo tube is neatly cut with a handsaw, keeping both ends together to ensure the bamboo tube does not break. Photo: Quang An

Giang took it from the forest, after cutting it into pieces (2 tubes/piece) then tied it tightly, each bundle of 50 tubes for easy transportation. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Bamboo pipes are gathered in piles on both sides of the village roads, waiting for traders to come and buy them. Mr. Cam Ba Dao in Pieng Van village, Dong Van commune (Que Phong) said that each day, one person can collect 250 - 300 bamboo pipes, sell them for 1,000 VND/pipe, earning from 250,000 - 300,000 VND. Photo: Quang An

In the last days of the year, traders from many localities in the lowlands and mountainous districts of Que Phong, Quy Chau, Con Cuong, Ky Son... come to buy "forest gifts" to supply the market for making Chung cakes for Tet. This is an opportunity for people in the highlands to have a significant source of income to cover Tet. Photo: Xuan Hoang