Well drilling is in high demand during the dry season.

Well diggers in Quynh Dien work tirelessly during the drought. Photo: Thanh Phuc

“The well-digging profession started in the village in the 1990s and 1991. Initially, only three households, including Mr. Nguyen Van Man, Mr. Hoang Van Vien, and Mr. Hoang Uyen, practiced the trade. Later, seeing that the profession was profitable, it was passed down from father to son, forming groups of workers, and gradually spread throughout the village. 'During the dry season, well diggers are never idle. Thanks to this profession, the people of these two villages have a more prosperous life…', said Mr. Le Van Long, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Dien commune.”

Women in Nhan Huong village (Quynh Dien district) earn extra income from casting drainage pipes. Photo: Khanh Ly

Digging wells is a hard and arduous job, but in return, well diggers are paid quite well, from 300,000 to 400,000 VND per person per day. During this year's drought season, the demand for water for domestic use and irrigation is high, so well diggers have more work than they can handle.

“There are days when we have to turn down clients because we can’t keep up with the work. Or we might take on 3-4 wells at once, but only do the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the occasion before digging gradually. During this dry season, areas like Quynh Luu and Dien Chau desperately need water, both for daily use and for irrigating crops. Especially during this time, there’s a lot of construction, so the demand for water increases, meaning there’s work every day. On average, during peak season, each well digger earns between 10-20 million VND per month…,” said Thao, a well driller.

At the same time, the well casting industry developed, creating more jobs for local laborers, especially women. Starting at 4 am, after waking up and having breakfast, people mix mortar (crushed stone, cement, and sand), then erect the molds and pour the pipes. On average, each person can pour about 10 pipes a day, earning a few hundred thousand dong in wages after deducting expenses.

On average, well drillers earn around 10 million VND per month during peak season. Photo: Hung Cuong

After years of struggling because his well had run dry, forcing him to beg for water for cooking, this year, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa (Muong Ngoc commune, Que Phong district) decided to hire workers to drill another well. "But this group of workers said they wouldn't be able to come for another half a month because their schedule is full until the end of this month," Mr. Hoa said.

Currently, there are four well-drilling teams in Que Phong. During peak drought periods, stream water is scarce, and furthermore, due to increasing pollution of river and stream water sources, people are turning to drilling wells to access groundwater. Therefore, the demand for well drilling is high, creating opportunities for these teams to increase their income.

Mr. Luong Van Thanh, from Na Chang village, Tien Phong commune (Que Phong district), a well driller, said: “I’ve been working as a well driller in the northern provinces for a long time. Now I’ve saved up money and borrowed more to buy a set of equipment to work in my hometown. Our work is peak season from February to August every year, and during the four months of the rainy season, we switch to other jobs. Drilling a well usually takes from one week to half a month, and we get paid 10-15 million VND per well. After deducting the cost of materials, fuel, and machine wear and tear of about 4-5 million VND, the rest goes to labor costs.”