People are excited to make money from wild plants along the river

These days, along the banks of the Nghen River, the scene of people harvesting water fern, sedge, and water hyacinth to dry has become familiar. Grasping the needs of businesses making handicrafts for export, people in communes such as Can Loc, Tung Loc, Dong Kinh, Gia Hanh... take advantage of the sunny weather to dry the raw materials and then sell them to purchasing points. This seemingly simple job is bringing in quite an attractive source of income for the people.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao (in Nam Tan Dan village, Tung Loc commune) said: “Over the past 2 months, taking advantage of the free time, I and many other women in the commune have focused on harvesting water fern and sedge plants, drying them to sell. On average, each week I harvest 5-6 quintals of dried materials, earning 2.5-3 million VND. The work is quite light, more comfortable with time and less effort than many other jobs.”

Along with Ms. Thao, in Tung Loc commune, there are about 60 women who specialize in this job. “Along the two banks of the Nghen River from Nghen Bridge to near Bara Do Diem, there are hundreds of hectares of low-lying land with lush water fern and sedge plants, so there is no need to worry about running out of work. Just take turns cutting this place, going to that place and then coming back and you have harvested. We are only worried about not having enough strength, but there is a lot of raw material, we can harvest all year round” - Ms. Dang Thi Duc (Tan Tay Huong village, Tung Loc commune) shared.

Not only water hyacinth, sedge, water hyacinth (water fern) are also harvested, dried and sold by many local people. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet (in Vinh Phong residential group, Can Loc commune) said: “We have been harvesting water hyacinth for sale for 2 years now. At first, we did it in our free time, but recently, many people have participated very actively, especially in the summer when there are many sunny days, the materials dry quickly and are of good quality. If you are diligent, you can earn over 10 million VND/month”.

It is known that the raw materials of plants such as: water fern, sedge, and water hyacinth are purchased by Huy Phong Construction and Trading Company Limited (with office in Cam Xuyen commune). The raw materials are used by the enterprise to produce and craft handicraft products for export to European markets... In Can Loc commune, the company organizes purchasing through Hien Qua purchasing point represented by Ms. Tran Thi Hien (residing in Phuc Xuan residential area). The current purchasing price: for water fern, sedge is 500 thousand VND/1 quintal and 1.2 million VND/1 quintal for water hyacinth. All raw materials are in dry form, not moldy during the harvesting process...

Ms. Tran Thi Hien - Owner of Hien Qua purchasing point (Can Loc commune) said: “For water hyacinth, we have been purchasing and producing since 2021, but for water fern and sedge, we have only started in the summer of 2025. From the beginning of summer 2025 until now, the weather has been sunny, people have been actively harvesting, so on average we purchase 3-5 batches per week, each batch reaching 4-6 tons, including water hyacinth and water fern and sedge. The demand is high, so the purchasing facility will have as much as there is. In addition to the communes in the Nghen riverside area, we also purchase in the communes along the La river and other areas”.

Along with encouraging people to harvest raw materials, Ms. Tran Thi Hien also teaches weaving and calls on people to participate in producing handicrafts from natural materials. By teaching and delivering work at home, and collecting finished products, Ms. Hien and Huy Phong Construction and Trading Company Limited have created jobs for 500 workers in the whole province. Weaving products from water fern, water fern, and sedge brings in an income of 5-7 million VND/month for people participating.

From wild plants in ponds, lakes, and riverside lowlands, through the use and processing of export products, it has brought stable livelihoods, improved income for hundreds of households, opened up a direction for sustainable development, and made the most of natural resources in localities.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nguoi-dan-phan-khoi-kiem-tien-tu-cay-dai-ven-song-post293582.html