Salt trade of Vietnamese people in Long Son, Vung Tau City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province

Abstract

Salt trade of Vietnamese people in Long Son Commune has a long standing history. Salt production here takes place in the dry season, starting from September to March according to Lunar Calendar. This is the period of high salinity in sea water with no rain and most stable sunshine and wind within a year. This paper mainly documents life, experiences and methods of salt production of salt makers in Long Son. Currently, salt making is mainly processed by traditionally manual methods which very much depend on the nature, quantity and price of the output. The area of salt fields being resized to a smaller scale has led to less income of salt production and a threat of being competed by other sectors with more income. Besides, present projects of decreasing salt field areas by local government seem to be enormous challenges for the salt production and salt makers in Long Son.