VietNamNet Bridge – Nga Son district in the central province of Thanh Hoa is famous for its sedge mats. The present time is the sedge harvesting season in Nga Son. Sedge is dried in the field, on the sand bank and in small yards of all families.

There are eight communes in Nga Son district growing sedge, totaling around 1,400 hectares.
This is the largest sedge area in Vietnam.





There are two sedge crops per year – the fifth-month and the tenth-month crops.





After cutting sedge, farmers have to shake sedge to make the short and dried layer
of sedge fall out. This job used to be done by men, but now women have to do it
since the men have gone to the south to work.










Sedge is bound in sheaves.





There are three kinds of sedge: long sedge, 1.55m long sedge and short sedge.











Sedge is transported home for cutting and drying.





Cutting sedge is the job of women because it requires skilful hands.





Sedge is dried for a week and bound into bunches.





The price for long sedge is from VND10,000-12,000 per kilo ($0.5-0.55).
Farmers can harvest 400-500kg of sedge/500sq.m of land.





After harvesting sedge, farmers rake the ground to expose the sedge roots.
They take care of the roots for the next crop. Children also help their parents
 since they are in summer holiday now.

VNE