Hon Khoi salt field, Nha Trang, Vietnam 17 Nov 2016
About this photo
Around 740,000 tonnes of salt are harvested each year at the Hon Khoi salt fields. The process is completed without the use of heavy machinery. First, seawater is directed from the East Sea and into the fields. The water is then left for approximately 10 days to evaporate, before the salt is carried manually from the shallow pits and piled up ready for trucks to distribute them. This is hard work, and – uniquely – it is women (often middle aged) who account for most of the workforce. They work between 4 and 9am to escape the daytime heat, and don characteristic conical hats, along with rubber gloves, boots and facemasks.
The harvesting season is from January to July, when scorching temperatures speed up the evaporation process. The fields are especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset, when the mounds of salt and water glisten and shimmer in the sun.
Enjoy a visit to Nha Trang on Insight Guides’ Vietnam and Cambodia by Rail tour.
