Well drilling is a popular profession during the dry season.

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

“The well digging profession began to appear in the village in 1990 and 1991. Initially, there were only 3 households including Mr. Nguyen Van Man, Hoang Van Vien and Hoang Uyen. Later, seeing that the profession was “profitable”, it was passed down from father to son, forming groups of workers and gradually spreading to the whole village. “During the dry season, there was no time when the well diggers “sat idle”. Thanks to the profession, people in these two villages had 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) have extra income from casting culverts. 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/person/day. During this year's drought, the demand for water for daily life and irrigation is high, so well diggers cannot keep up with the work.

“There are many days when we have to refuse customers, we can’t keep up. Or we accept 3-4 wells but only break ground for a day and then gradually dig. During this dry season, areas like Quynh Luu and Dien Chau really need water, both for daily use and for watering crops. In particular, this is also the season when people build a lot, the demand for water increases, so there is work to do every day. On average, each month during the peak season, each well digger earns 10-20 million VND…”, said Mr. Thao, a well driller.

At the same time, the well casting profession has developed, creating more jobs for local workers, especially for women. Starting at 4am, people get up to mix mortar (crushed stone, cement and sand), then set up molds and pour the wells. On average, each day, 1 person can pour about 10 wells, and after deducting expenses, they still earn a few hundred thousand in wages.

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

After many years of struggling because his well ran out of water and he had to beg for water for cooking, this year, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa (Muong Noc commune, Que Phong) decided to find workers to drill another well. "But this group of workers said they would have to wait another half month to come and drill because they were fully booked until the end of this month," said Mr. Hoa.

Currently, in Que Phong, there are 4 groups of well drillers. During the peak of the drought, stream water is scarce. In addition, because river water sources are increasingly polluted, people have switched to drilling wells to use underground water. Therefore, the demand for well drilling is high, which is an opportunity for well drilling groups to increase their income.

Mr. Luong Van Thanh, in Na Chang village, Tien Phong commune (Que Phong), a well driller, said: “I have been working as a well driller in the northern provinces for a long time. Now I have saved up money and borrowed more to buy equipment to bring back to my hometown. Our work is in the peak season from February to August every year, and during the 4 months of the rainy season, we switch to other jobs. Well drilling time is usually from 1 week to half a month/well, with wages ranging from 10-15 million VND/well. After deducting the cost of materials, oil, and machine wear and tear, about 4-5 million VND remains to pay for labor.”