The hardships of life in the salt industry.

(Baonghean.vn) - In recent days, while people across the country, and Nghe An in particular, are panicking over the prolonged drought, salt farmers see this as an opportunity to increase their labor intensity and productivity. Under the scorching sun of 37-40 degrees Celsius, the elderly, the young, and children are all present in the salt fields, with almost all activities taking place around the salt pans. Everyone is working hard, toiling, and enduring hardship from dawn until dusk...

Here are some photos taken by reporters from Nghe An Newspaper documenting the activities of salt farmers in Dien Kim, Dien Bich, and Dien Hai communes (Dien Chau district):

The salt fields of Dien Kim commune at midday.

The sunnier the weather, the more salt farmers have to make the most of their time.

Pour seawater onto the prepared surface of the rice paddies to increase the salinity of the brackish water.

After being dried for a day, the sand is scooped up and placed in a sieve to filter out the brine (savory liquid) used for drying salt.

In the morning, the villagers pour brine into the drying areas, and by the afternoon, the water crystallizes into salt.

Mr. and Mrs. Truong Van Tam, 82 years old, and Le Thi Tuong, 77 years old, residing in Kim Lien hamlet (Dien Kim district), have been making a living by salt production for decades.

The people of Dien Kim have been making salt for generations.

Many children have extremely hard summer days in the salt fields.

Seven-year-old Tran Thi Hoai from Hamlet 7, Dien Hai Commune, helps her parents cultivate the land.

Childhood in the salt-producing region is spent on the salt fields.

The love of kite flying also takes place in this salty environment.

Salt-making provides food, clothing, and fuels the dreams of many children.

Hundreds, even thousands of children have summer days like that.

Although it's only the beginning of the season, salt farmers in Dien Kim have already achieved a production of over 1,000 tons of salt.

Each day, a household earns only about 50,000 VND from salt farming, before deducting expenses.

1kg of salt costs 1,100 VND, which is 4,000 VND lower than at the beginning of the season.

Despite a good harvest and low prices, salt farmers cannot make a living through other means.

A rare moment of rest in the salt fields.

Dao Tuan - Thuy Vinh