PHU YEN – Coming to Phu Tan sedge mat village (Tuy An district) on this occasion, visitors will see from harvesting fresh sedge to drying, dyeing, weaving into mats.

Photographer Le Chi Trung (32 years old) currently working at the People’s Committee of Xuan Dai ward, Song Cau town, Phu Yen province, is the author of a series of photos of the Phu Tan sedge harvest season. Mr. Trung said that Phu Tan sedge mat village has a tradition of over 100 years, the sedge harvest season here takes place bustling from May to July every year. Products made from sedge materials in Phu Tan are not only famous in Phu Yen, the central market but also spread throughout the country.

The picture shows the footsteps of children in the green sedge field in Phu Tan, An Cu commune, Tuy An district, about 30 km from Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen.

In the harvest season, each group of people reaping sedges and tying them into bundles of sedges from a photographic perspective becomes a beautiful labor image.

Phu Tan sedge mat weaving village currently has about 20 ha of locally available sedge mats, somewhat reducing the area compared to previous years (25 ha) because people switched to growing grass to raise buffaloes and cows.

After harvesting, people shake the sedge straight. “Harvesting sedge is quite hard, farmers often work in the hot sun, but because of family life, they work hard to earn extra income,” said Mr. Chi Trung.

Bundles of sedges are piled up ready to be transported to the village.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, one of the largest sedge mat producers in Phu Tan, said her family’s establishment creates jobs for more than 30 workers at different stages. However, due to the impact of Covid-19, consumption has decreased recently, but the family still tries to maintain hiring labor and purchasing sedge materials from relatives.

Like other places, sedge goes through stages such as harvesting, washing, transporting, splitting, drying, dyeing, making yarn and weaving new mats. Especially in Phu Tan sedge field, at the stage of transportation, people also combine the method of combining bundles of sedge into rafts to pull them back on the creek instead of carrying or carrying.

A picturesque painting of sedge fields with rafts of sedges being pulled on the river. In order to have enough raw materials for production, the average craft village needs from 25 to 30 tons of raw material sedge per month.

Motor vehicles transport sedge to the village across the ripe golden rice fields. Trung shared that today there are many types of mats made of different materials, but Phu Tan sedge mats are still popular with people because of their durability and softness.

The radiating “sedge flower” being dried in the summer sun looks like an impressive work of art.

“After a month of harmonizing with the lives of people in the sedge mat craft village, I am delighted by the peaceful beauty of the sedge field, the gentle, friendly people who work hard but are always optimistic. Especially the labor culture, community activities, help connect family members and between households in the village together”, Mr. Trung shared the writing process.

Sedge dyeing is an important step that requires skilled and experienced workers. The sedge fibers must be evenly dipped in dyed water to keep the color fresh for a long time.

The harvested sedge is dried, bundled and then dyed. After dyeing continue to dry, before weaving.

The colors of the finished mats.

Phu Tan sedge mat village currently has 5 establishments investing in mat weaving machines, creating jobs for hundreds of workers, with monthly income from 2.5 to 3.5 million VND/person. A pair of hand-woven mats costs 50,000 – 60,000 VND, while machine-woven mats cost 130,000 – 160,000 VND per pair. Follow vnexpress

Photo: Le Chi Trung