Sedge fields and craft villages by O Loan lagoon

From the edge of the lagoon, above Long Phu bridge (the bridge over O Loan lagoon), follow the internal road up to the sedge field. The sedge fields (local people call it lac tree when it is still young, has a large stem, and must be split to weave mats) lie along both sides of the brackish river flowing down to O Loan lagoon, stretching from Go Giua, Go Bun and Dong Co fields. Through the sedge fields, previously walking on the field edge road, later farmers built more land to widen it for improved vehicles and ox carts to transport the sedge home after harvest.

Harvesting sedge.

Mrs. Tran Thi Thu and her husband were tying sedge to load onto a motorbike and said: O Loan lagoon used to be large, now the edge of the lagoon is more than half a kilometer away. The sedge field is three rice fields away from the road, after cutting the sedge, we tie it into large bundles, carry it across the rice fields, then load it onto the motorbike to take home.

Mr. Bui Van Ha, Mrs. Thu's husband, added: "When my grandfather was still alive, he said that this sedge field is over a hundred years old. It's not like rice cultivation, where you sow each crop, the sedge is planted once, harvested, the roots are left, and fertilizer is spread down to continue harvesting for 5-7 years (crops)". Compared to rice cultivation, sedge cultivation is healthier, because it is only planted once, with less care. When the sedge is young, it takes effort to cut the grass on the banks, when it grows high, the banks are blown down, just waiting for the day of harvest. Growing sedge does not "disturb" the soil, does not require spraying pesticides, has little fertilizer, and is environmentally friendly, so frogs and toads thrive. The sedge fields run along both sides of the river, and during the flowering season, the sedge fields become poetic, like a picture that beautifies the entire field...

The large sedges are brought home, split in half and then dried. When drying the sedge, one must stay awake for fear of thunderstorms. If the sedge gets soaked in rain, it will turn a dark red color.

Dyed sedge drying on O Loan lagoon.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lieu, who is a mat weaver, said that the sedge is dried in the sun for two days, then dyed green, red, yellow, or purple. The technique for coloring the sedge is to boil water, add the color, stir well, and then "blanch" the sedge to absorb the color. Just blanch briefly, if soaked in boiling water for too long, the sedge will become soft and crumbly. After dyeing the sedge, dry it in the sun to keep the color lasting.

Xom Chieu, Phu Tan village (O Loan commune) is associated with the craft of weaving sedge mats, although there have been ups and downs, the fire has never been extinguished. Traditional sedge mat weaving has two types: plain mats and cotton mats. Plain mats are undyed sedge, while cotton mats are dyed and patterned.

Nowadays, with the advancement of technology, besides some households still maintaining the traditional mat weaving profession, most households doing this profession have purchased machines to build mat weaving workshops.

According to Xom Chieu residents, 1 sao of rice field yields an average of 1.5 tons of fresh sedge, drying yields 200 kg of dry sedge fibers, weighing them for the factory to purchase at 13,000 VND/kg.

“My family grows 1 sao of sedge and can dry it to produce 30 bundles. The other day, I was short on money so I sold 10 bundles to the factory. The rest I weave during the off-season, earning a profit because this profession was passed down from my grandparents,” said Nguyen Thi Hoa, one of the few households that still maintain the traditional craft of weaving mats.

Handwoven mats.

In front of O Loan lagoon, a beautiful and poetic landscape, people dry colorful mats, which are even softer and more beautiful in the eyes of tourists. Mrs. Le Thi Than sits weaving mats and says: Mat weaving is bustling with the sedge season. Every year, farmers harvest sedge in March and July. When the harvest season comes, farmers are present in the fields at dawn. Cutting sedge, drying sedge, and dyeing sedge is bustling in the area around the lagoon. Mat weaving is hard work, working all day at noon and all night, and the income is not high, but everyone is "grateful" to the sedge fields and the traditional profession that has fed many generations.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202508/canh-dong-coi-va-lang-nghe-ben-dam-o-loan-bbd10b5/