The new generation of salt farmers
The early autumn sun still blazes fiercely on the salt fields, the salty air rising from the salt paddies stinging the skin. Amidst the scorching heat, the salt farmers persevere, their calloused hands scooping water to irrigate the salt, stirring and turning the sand, preserving the traditional salt-drying craft. Now, with a desire for innovation, they are placing the white salt crystals into earthenware pots, undergoing an elaborate simmering process, transforming the "white gold" of their homeland into a unique, simmered salt product...
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Thanh Phuc /Technique:Hong ToaiSeptember 14, 2025
Early in the morning, as the sun just rises above the horizon, the salt fields of Con Cuong, Dong Moi, Dong Hoi Be, Dong Vinh Yen, and Dong Hoi Sanh in Quynh Phu commune are filled with the rustling sounds of sand, footsteps on the white sand, and the pungent smell of the sea. On each salt pan, the calloused hands of the salt farmers diligently stir the water, loosen the sand, and meticulously care for each grain of salt. Despite the exhaustion from the scorching sun and the salty sea air, they persevere, firmly gripping their buckets and stirring each grain of salt as if preserving their livelihood and the traditional craft of their ancestors.
Mr. Bui Xuan Dien – Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thang Loi Salt Production and Service Cooperative – expressed his concern: “The sand-drying salt industry here has existed for over 400 years, but it is increasingly facing competitive pressure from industrial salt, from water-dried salt imported from the South, and from imported refined salt. Salt prices are volatile; in years when prices are low, people abandon their fields, close their salt pans, and store their salt in warehouses, but once salt fields are abandoned, they can never be recovered. We want to preserve the profession, but we must also increase the value of the salt grain and help salt farmers reduce their hardships.”
Driven by this concern, he and the members of the cooperative made bold decisions, leading the salt industry into a breakthrough transformation. This involved processing raw salt into refined salt, turning the white salt grains dried in the sand into unique, high-value products: refined salt, flavored refined salt, shrimp refined salt, spicy and sour salt, and royal salt stew.
"We want to preserve the essence of sun-dried salt and enhance the value of the salt grain. Based on ancient recipes, we learn from many traditional salt-making villages, combine modern techniques and the best raw materials to create a product that is clean, nutritious, and meets current needs."
Mr. Bui Xuan Dien - Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thang Loi Salt Production and Service Cooperative
The meticulous process of making salt is beyond the imagination of outsiders. Carefully selected, sand-dried salt is left to dry for at least six months before being placed in earthenware pots over a simmering fire fueled by longan wood. Each simmering session lasts 7-8 hours, involving two simmering cycles and one incubation period between cycles. The salt is then removed, sifted, and impurities are removed, leaving only the fluffy white grains. Each pot is steaming, emitting the aroma of burning wood, earthenware, and dried longan wood. Skilled craftsmen meticulously stir and sift, removing clumps or ash-covered salt, leaving only the fluffy, soft white grains that dissolve quickly in water, retaining their natural minerals. When finished, the salt turns a snowy white color, the grains are soft, easily broken, and dissolve quickly in water, with a mild salty taste and a sweet aftertaste, distinctly different from ordinary sand-dried salt. Every step in the salt-making process requires patience, meticulousness, and years of experience. This is the essence of Nghe An's traditional salt-drying craft, elevated by the intelligence and hard work of the new generation of salt farmers. The kiln-dried salt from Thang Loi Cooperative is highly valued for its nutritional value and medicinal properties.
According to Mr. Dien, rock salt is not only used for seasoning, but also helps to clear the mind, detoxify, and guide medicinal herbs into the meridians. Combined with spices such as mugwort, ginger, lemongrass, and perilla, it creates valuable health-promoting and nourishing dishes. When tasted, the salt has a mild salty flavor with a sweet aftertaste, not harsh like regular salt, and dissolves immediately in water, creating a unique and unforgettable taste.
The Thang Loi Salt Production and Service Cooperative was re-established in 2012 and merged and restructured in 2023. The cooperative currently owns 113 hectares of production land, with five production teams spread across the fields, and 830 members, producing approximately 11,000 - 13,000 tons of salt annually.
Beyond simply preserving the craft, Thang Loi Cooperative aims to create economic value and export prospects. The kiln-dried salt is currently sold for over 36,000 VND/kg, 15-20 times higher than the original price of the raw salt. This high value stems not only from the hard work and meticulous preparation but also from its quality, nutritional value, and its ability to replace precious salts like Himalayan salt or Korean bamboo charcoal salt. On average, the cooperative supplies about 20 tons of kiln-dried salt per month to organic food stores, wellness spas, and food processing units.
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Looking at the steaming pots of simmering salt, one can easily imagine an entire traditional craft being elevated to a new level. Each fluffy white salt grain, each wisp of smoke rising, each diligent hand stirring and sifting—all contain the dedication of the salt farmers. Simmered salt is not just a seasoning, but also a symbol of the fusion of tradition and innovation, technology and culture, health and economics.
“Currently, the cooperative is also researching and expanding its product lines from kiln-dried salt to bring them closer to people's daily lives: peanut salt, sesame salt, dried loquat leaf salt, dipping salt for various foods, aiming to diversify products, increase consumption, and at the same time help Nghe An sand-dried salt not only become a valuable product, but also an essential ingredient in daily meals,” Mr. Dien said.
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Export prospects are also being considered. With its pure quality and health benefits, rock salt can compete in the international market, especially in countries interested in macrobiotic and clean food. The cooperative's rock salt products have been showcased at domestic salt festivals, such as the Bac Lieu Salt Festival held in March 2025, receiving high praise for their quality and distinctive flavor.
On the international market, names like Himalayan pink salt, Korean bamboo charcoal salt, or Celtic sea salt have become global brands, sold in high-end supermarkets at prices dozens of times higher than regular table salt. However, when compared to Quynh Luu kiln-fired salt, one realizes that the traditional product of Quynh Phu salt farmers also has its own advantages.
Himalayan salt is renowned for its natural pink color and rich mineral content, while bamboo charcoal salt impresses with its process of being heated inside bamboo for many hours. However, Nghe An's kiln-dried salt embodies the value of a craft that has existed for over four centuries. This naturally sun-dried salt undergoes a meticulous three-stage kiln-drying process using Tru Son clay pots, a material that retains heat, preserves flavor, and almost perfectly eliminates impurities. After the kiln-drying process, the salt grains are pure white like snowflakes, soft, dissolve quickly, and have a sweet aftertaste. Rich in minerals, it aligns perfectly with the growing global trend of macrobiotic and clean eating.
This is precisely the advantage that allows Nghe An's rock salt to compete in the high-end food segment, where consumers are not just looking for a spice, but also a cultural story, a philosophy of health, and something unique.
Himalayan salt is famous for its natural pink color and rich mineral content, bamboo charcoal salt impresses with its process of being heated inside bamboo for many hours, but Nghe An's kiln-dried salt embodies the value of a craft that has existed for over four centuries. This salt is naturally sun-dried in sand with a meticulous three-stage kiln-drying process, using Tru Son clay pots, a material that retains heat, preserves flavor, and removes impurities almost perfectly.
Mr. Bui Xuan Dien shared that the cooperative is gradually building a standard dossier, from clean production processes and packaging to food safety certification, aiming to pave the way for its salt to enter the international market. Those passionate about their homeland's salt, like Mr. Dien and the salt farmers, still dream that one day, the cooperative's salt can stand alongside jars of Himalayan pink salt in supermarkets in Paris, Tokyo, or New York. This would not only be a source of pride for the Thang Loi Cooperative, but also proof that Nghe An's sand-dried salt-making profession has found a new path. At that time, salt would no longer be considered a cheap, weather-sensitive product, but would become a "precious specialty" with cultural and economic value, helping salt farmers change their lives... "We hope these products will become the pride of our homeland, bringing the flavor of Nghe An to all corners of the world, preserving our ancestral craft," he expressed.
That belief is not only fueled by the cooperative's projects and plans, but also exists in the very people who have been dedicated to salt farming for generations. Mr. Mai Van Thang, a salt farmer in Quynh Phu commune, shared that since the cooperative started processing and purchasing salt from farmers at a higher price than the market rate, the lives of his family and many other households have become more stable. “Before, the salt we produced was often subject to price manipulation by traders, sometimes falling to a level that wasn't worth the effort, discouraging farmers. Now, with a stable market and the salt being processed into high-value products, we feel secure in our profession and no longer worry about the price of salt falling and piling up in the fields like before,” Mr. Thang said.
From that story, it's clear that salt is no longer just a laborious product, exposed to the elements, but has gradually taken on the form of a true "white gold," a special resource of the sea. If properly exploited and processed, it will open up opportunities for salt producers to change their lives. In the eyes of today's salt farmers, ahead lies not only the harsh sun and wind, but also the prospect of Nghe An salt reaching the open sea, contributing to improved income, enhanced living standards, and the preservation of a precious traditional craft of their homeland.
In the eyes of today's salt farmers, the future holds not only the harsh sun and wind, but also the prospect of Nghe An's salt reaching the open sea, contributing to improved income, enhanced living standards, and the preservation of a precious traditional craft of their homeland.