Harvesting sedge in a field in Hoai Chau Bac Commune. Making sedge mats has been a job of local residents for two centuries.

After harvesting sedge, farmers make sedge bundles and leave them in the field.

Sedge will be brought home when it is dry.

There are three sedge seasons a year. Some households have to hire workers to harvest sedge. The pay for a working day is VND150,000 ($7)/person.

Taking sedge home by motorcycle.

After bringing sedge home, they use machines to split sedge and then dry the material for several days.

Dried sedge is then put into pans for dyeing.

On sunny days, Hoai Chau Bac is colorful.

On average, each worker can weave from six to 10 sedge mats, earning about VND150,000.

Sedge mat has long been a traditional craft product of Binh Dinh. This product has been exported to to Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, bringing millions of USD for local people each year.

Many households still make sedge mats manually.