VietNamNet Bridge - At Ba Ren, the largest pig market in Vietnam, in Que Xuan commune in Que Son district in Quang Nam province, there is a special job: holding pigs. Only women do the job, earning VND500-VND2,000 ($0.02-$0.01) for holding a pig.

The women are always there, regardless of the weather which can be hot in summer and chilly in winter. Their work also benefits traders since it is otherwise very difficult to get the pigs on the scale.

Once the new method of weighing the animals was discovered, it quickly became a regular job. All the women are farm workers aged above 40 with no prospects of finding work in a company or factory and no choice but to do this hard and dirty job.

For hoisting a pig in her arms, a woman is paid VND500-VND2,000 (2 to 10 cents) depending on the weight of the pig, and if they work hard, they can earn VND40,000 ($1.9) in a day.

Dinh Thi Lien is, at 77, the oldest of the pig-hoisters. She has just quit the job but she still earns her living at the pig market by collecting straw left at the market by pig traders, burning it to have ash for sale.

Some latest pictures taken at the pig market:

Zing/Tuoi Tre