Carrying rice on the shoulder, earning more than half a million per day

Vao thoi diem thu hoach lua de dang bat gap hinh anh tung nhom nguoi di vac, van chuyen lua thue tu cac canh dong ra den duong lon, len xe hoac xuong ghe tau.

During the rice harvest season in Soc Trang, it is easy to see groups of people carrying and transporting rice from the fields to the main road, onto trucks or down boats.

Moi co 15-20 nguoi chu yeu la thanh nien luc luong. Trung binh moi ngay doi co the vac duoc 150-170 tan lua.

Each group has about 15-20 people, mainly strong young men. On average, the team can carry 150-170 tons of rice per day.

Ong Nguyen Van Thanh - mot lao dong vac lua thue o xa Long Duc, huyen Long Phu, tinh Soc Trang cho biet: Tien cong vac lua duoc tinh bang tan. 1 tan la 50.000 - 80.000 dong (tuy khoang cach xa gan) neu minh dam nhan luon cong viec can lua thi them 20.000 - 30.000 dong/tan nua. Vao vu lua 1 lao dong co the kiem thu nhap 500.000 - 600.000 dong/ngay.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - a hired rice carrier in Long Duc commune (Long Phu district, Soc Trang province) - said: Wages are calculated by the ton. Each ton is from 60,000 - 80,000 VND (depending on the distance). If you also take on the job of weighing rice, you will earn an additional 20,000 - 30,000 VND/ton. During the first crop, workers can earn 500,000 - 600,000 VND/day.

Anh Pham Dinh Toan o huyen Chau Thanh, tinh Soc Trang da co tren 20 nam lam nghe vac lua thue cho biet cung nho thu nhap tu nghe nay ma gia dinh tich luy duoc mot so von mua them ruong dat va nuoi ca con vao hoc Dai hoc. Hien nay du kinh te on dinh nhung anh van gan bo voi nghe vac lua.

Mr. Pham Dinh Toan in Chau Thanh district, Soc Trang province, has been working as a hired rice carrier for over 20 years. He said that thanks to the income from this job, his family has saved up some capital to buy more land and send his children to university. Although his economy is now stable, he is still attached to the job of carrying rice.

De vac duoc nhung bao lua nang gan 50kg doi hoi nguoi vac phai co suc khoe tot. Thong thuong vac lua tu bo xuong ghe la cuc nhat boi nguoi vac khong chi chiu dung suc nang tren vai ma con phai tap trung chu y buoc di tren cay cau nho bang ban chan nguoi.

Carrying bags of rice weighing nearly 50kg requires the carrier to be in good health. Usually, carrying rice from the shore to the boat is the most difficult task, because the carrier not only has to bear the weight on his shoulders but also has to concentrate on walking on a small bridge that is only as big as a person's foot.

“Mot vu lua thu hoach khoang 20 ngay den mot thang, binh quan nguoi vac 10-20 tan lua/ngay, thu nhap 500.000-600.000 dong/ngay. Khi vao vu, chung toi boc vac tu sang som den tan chieu toi, tham chi khong nghi trua. Du vong viec nang nhoc, vat va nhung doi lai co khoan thu nhap kha, giup trang trai cuoc song gia dinh“, anh Phong mot lao dong chuyen vac lua thue o huyen Long Phu, tinh Soc Trang cho biet.

“A rice crop lasts about 20 days to a month, on average a person carries 10-20 tons of rice per day, earning 500,000-600,000 VND per day. During the crop season, we carry rice from early morning until late afternoon, without even taking a lunch break. Although the work is hard and tiring, in return we earn a decent income, helping to support our family,” said Mr. Phong, a hired rice carrier in Long Phu district, Soc Trang province.

Ngoai vac lua thi nhieu lao dong con dam nhan cong viec phoi lua thue. Tien cong duoc tra la 5.000 dong/bao lua. “Thong thuong neu nang gat 1 tan lua se phoi kho trong ngay, thu nhap cung khoang 100.000 dong“, chi Chi Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu - nguoi da co hon 20 nam phoi lua thue o huyen Chau Thanh, tinh Soc Trang cho biet.

Many workers also take on the job of drying and scooping rice for hire. The wage is 5,000 VND/bag of rice. "Usually, if the sun is strong, 1 ton of rice will be dried in a day, earning about 100,000 VND," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu - who has been drying rice for hire for more than 20 years in Chau Thanh district, Soc Trang province.