Tide receded, revealing the green seaweed clinging to the embankment, the people of Cam Nhuong commune worked hard to collect.
At 10:30 on February 24, Mrs. Phan Thi Thin, 67 years old, in Cam Nhuong commune, Cam Xuyen district and dozens of people brought baskets and aluminum spoons to pick up and scrape seaweed from the sea embankment. Seaweed, also known as kelp, is a marine species rich in protein, minerals and fiber.
Mrs. Thin squats on the embankment, holds a basket in her left hand, and in her right hand picks up seaweed clinging to the concrete. The thread is only one centimeter long, the body is thin, sometimes Mrs. Thin has to use an aluminum spoon to scrape it off. Waves from the shore hit each wave, she quickly grabbed the basket to stand up to avoid getting wet and the water washing away the seaweed.
“Seaweed grows on embankments, coral reefs, cliffs and can live in two environments, saltwater and brackish water,” said Thin. About every 10 minutes, Mrs. Thin put a pinch of seaweed she had just picked up in a basin of water placed on the shore.
Picking seaweed is a seasonal job of the people of Cam Nhuong commune, from December of last year to the end of February of the following year. The work depends on the tide, only 20 days a month when the water recedes.
Every day, Ms. Tran Thi Dien, 45 years old, goes to Cam Nhuong embankment to pick up seaweed from 10:30 am to 3 pm, earns about 5 taels.
Picking up seaweed does not cost anything, but you have to do it through noon, soaking your hands and feet in water for many hours. Their hands were white, wrinkled, sometimes bleeding from the sharp pieces of concrete and the steel wires attached to the embankment.
Some people exchange their lives. Most recently, on February 23, a woman in Cam Linh commune, Cam Xuyen district while shaving seaweed at Mui Dung rocky beach, Ky Loi commune, Ky Anh town, tripped and drowned.
To avoid accidents, Mrs. Phan Thi Thin, 57, said: “We always remind each other to be careful not to go down to the beach to pick up seaweed, because when big waves hit it is difficult to avoid. My group always follows the group of 5 people. , to avoid separately, when encountering difficult-to-rescue incidents”.
After picking up seaweed, it is soaked in plastic pots and sorted on the spot. When brought home, people continue to wash two to three more water to clean, then squeeze dry, bring to market in Cam Nhuong commune to sell.
Customers often buy seaweed to cook soup, soup, or make Korean-style dishes.
