Every year in the seventh lunar month, when the flood season comes, it is also the time that workers in Thom Rom net weaving village (Thot Not district, Can Tho city) look forward to the most. Because at that time, fishing activities become more vibrant, their work and income also increase with the tide.
While meticulously piecing together each piece of net, Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Linh (Tan Hung Ward, Thot Not District, Can Tho City) shared: “I used to work as a worker, but because I wanted to return to my hometown to live near my family, I quit and joined this net factory. Thanks to my sewing experience, I quickly got used to the job. My monthly income is more than 4 million VND, just enough to cover the cost of living in my hometown.”
Having been taught the craft by her aunt, Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Lan (Tan Hung Ward, Thot Not District, Can Tho City) currently earns nearly 6 million VND/month at a net production facility in Thom Rom village. During the flood season, her income will increase due to high market demand.
“With the job of tying rims, on average, in 7 hours, I can complete 45 - 50 sets of products, bringing in 180,000 VND/day. My mother also works in the same workshop but in a different stage, earning higher income, from 200,000 - 230,000 VND/day. Every year, we look forward to the flood season to have more work and increase income,” Lan said.
Sharing the same joy, Mr. Nguyen Van Hau (Tan Hung ward, Thot Not district, Can Tho city) said that every year, when the flood season comes, workers are enthusiastic about production to meet market demand.
“This frame making job is mainly put into the machine and drawn along the available lines, quite simple and suitable for me. These days, there is more work at the workshop because of the flood season, my income is 250,000 VND, 50,000 VND/day higher than usual. I just hope that when the flood comes, there will be more products, bringing both aquatic resources to the people and creating jobs for us,” said Mr. Hau.
With his nimble hands, Mr. Nguyen Cong Danh (Tan Hung Ward, Thot Not District, Can Tho City) takes 25-30 minutes to press lead for a net product, earning an income of 8-9 million VND/month. During the flood season, this income will increase, depending on the number of products made.
“The workshop produces all year round, but during the flood season, we earn more because we have more work. Therefore, most people are excited, the more we work, the higher our income will be because the salary is calculated based on the product. During the flood season, my salary is from 300,000 - 350,000 VND/day,” Danh shared.
Mr. Nguyen Chi Hieu - Vice Chairman of Tan Hung Ward People's Committee (Thot Not District, Can Tho City) - said that net weaving and trap weaving create jobs and stable income for about 1,000 workers in the ward. Female workers' income ranges from 120,000 - 200,000 VND/person/day, while male workers' income ranges from 250,000 - 300,000 VND/person/day, depending on the job. During the flood season, establishments have many orders and need to work overtime, so workers' income also improves accordingly.
According to the Economic Department of Thot Not District (Can Tho City), Thom Rom net weaving village currently has 40 households participating in main production and 470 households participating in processing production, contributing to creating jobs for about 2,000 professional workers and 2,200 seasonal workers in the area.
