The story of weighing, measuring, and counting, and the cultural aspects of markets in the Mekong Delta.

In the Mekong Delta, residents commonly use the unit of measurement "piece/item". Besides that, there are some specific items/types: traditional Chinese medicine is counted as "thang" (packaged in square, paper-wrapped packets), tobacco is counted as "lang" or "bánh". Paper used for rolling cigarettes is counted by the sheet; for retail sales, it is cut open, with the width equal to the length of the cigarette, then rolled into a cylinder called "dun giấy" (paper roll)...

Most other goods are measured and weighed, each with its own cultural characteristics linked to the working life, production activities, and natural conditions of the region.

Regarding weight

For common goods, depending on the quantity, people in the Mekong Delta in the past measured them in units of 50g (12 units), 1,000g (1 kilogram), 6kg (60 quintals), and 1,000kg (1 ton). For example, charcoal for furnaces (depending on whether it was mangrove charcoal or mixed charcoal) was measured in quintals (1000kg).

For gold, silver, and copper jewelry, a small scale is used, with units of measurement increasing from least to most: ly, phan, chi, luong. The saying "One side is half a catty, the other side is 8 luong/luong" can be used as a unit of conversion – they are equal.

Women in the Mekong Delta use mechanical scales to weigh goods. Photo: DUY KHÔI

People in the delta region use a beam scale when selling whole pigs; for retail sales at the market, they use a price scale, with different prices depending on the type of meat (fat, ribs, thigh bones, etc.).

Regarding measuring

In the Mekong Delta, rice was measured in bushels, using the term "táo" (a type of measuring stick) or leveled scales (1 "táo" equals 20 liters; 2 "táo" equals 1 bushel). Later, because the market sold square tin kerosene barrels with a capacity of 20 liters, when measuring liquids, instead of calling them "táo," people used the term "thừng" (barrel). Retail sales were measured in liters (nowadays, scales are used to measure by kilogram).

Agricultural products like potatoes and water chestnuts were measured in bushels, using a mound of earth. Specialties like boiled clams (all meat) were measured in small bowls. Large snails (apple snails, pond snails) were sold in bunches (nowadays they are weighed by the kilogram).

Some measuring tools. Photo: DUY KHÔI

Wood ash is also used as fertilizer by people in the Mekong Delta. Ash from burning firewood is measured in large containers (40 liters) piled high. Rice husks and rice husk ash are measured in bags (made of woven palm fibers, called "ca ron bags," or woven jute/burlap bags, called "bo toi bags"), or in baskets (woven from bamboo or rattan, with a capacity of a few bushels, with two handles for easy carrying, or carried on a pole).

In the Mekong Delta, when selling fresh fish to wholesalers at the ponds, people measure it using "seven-basket" made of very sturdy bamboo; one seven-basket equals seven "sieves," which are small baskets, and one small basket can hold approximately 40 kilograms of fish. At wholesale markets or retail outlets, scales are used, usually "precision" scales that are advantageous to the buyer.

Drinking water is sold in pairs. One pair of water consists of two buckets, each holding no more than 20 liters. Depending on the distance, the person needing the water negotiates the price with the person carrying it. If the water is supplied to consumers by boat/vehicle, it's called "exchanging water" rather than "selling water."

Regarding measurement

When buying and selling planks, sellers always measure extra and don't account for areas that are cut off, knots, or diagonal edges. For logs, the price is negotiated depending on the size of the tree, whether it's sold individually, as a whole clump, or by the buyer, or the buyer can cut it down themselves. If the logs are sawn, they are measured in "rafters" and then converted to meters or cubic meters based on "box planks." When measuring, edges, diagonals, and other "cut-off" areas are not included.

In the traditional land measurement methods of the Mekong Delta countryside in the past, a square plot of land with sides measuring 10 fathoms was called "cong 10" (a unit of measurement), and a plot with sides measuring 12 fathoms was called "cong tam cat" (a unit of measurement for cutting). Markers were planted along the measurement lines to indicate the boundaries. In the past, if measuring a rice field for hired harvesters, they would measure 12 fathoms, then pull up a handful of rice stubble about 40-50cm long, wrapping it around several times with the same stubble to secure and mark the boundary. The reason the landowner and the hired harvester agreed on a "cong 12" was often because the rice grew in a patchy manner, with some areas having rice and others not, hence the term "cong tam cat" (a unit of measurement for cutting).

Sand and construction stone are measured by volume. Firewood, however, is cut into pieces about 30 cm long, stacked into bundles, and measured in square meters.

Fabric is measured by the meter, and the price depends on the width (in the past, due to hand-weaving, the width was narrow, usually 80cm), called "eight-inch fabric". As for brocade, it's measured in bolts, each bolt counting as "one pair of pants" - even for making a shirt, it's counted as "pants," so to make a complete outfit, you have to buy two pairs of pants.

Regarding counting

With betel leaves, 20 leaves make a dozen, tied together to form a "pack"; 12 such packs make a hundred, ten hundred is a thousand (1,000), ten thousand is ten thousand (10,000). "Total" means adding a certain number; for example, a dozen to total isn't just 10 (a plain dozen), but 12, 14, 16...; a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand to total is calculated on this basis, benefiting the buyer.

Wild water spinach, gourd shoots, pumpkin shoots… generally speaking, wild and forest vegetables are sold in bunches. Wild water lilies are sold in bundles: 4 or 5 stems coiled together make a bundle; the price varies depending on the length of the stems. If cultivated water lilies have stems as thick as a finger, called Da Lat water lilies, they are sold by the stem/flower.

In the old days, watermelons were sold at the harvest site with both growers and buyers calculating the price implicitly using ox carts, one cart holding about 20 bushels of rice – the largest watermelons were counted as a pair, then the first, second, and third largest; smaller ones were considered scraps, and "soup watermelons" (small, misshapen, or shriveled watermelons only used for soup) were not included. The price was negotiated based on the average size and quality of the watermelons. Nowadays, they are counted at the harvest site and weighed at the market.

Cucumbers at the market are sold by the bunch or by the basket; ripe cantaloupes (sold individually) are sold by the piece. Bitter melon and various types of eggplant are weighed.

Cattle and buffalo were sold individually, according to mutual agreement. Chickens and ducks used to be sold individually – especially "farm-raised ducks" (thousands of ducks raised in flocks). Chicken and duck eggs were sold by counting, in "ten-a-dozens." Muscovy duck eggs were more expensive than domestic duck eggs because they were rare; "farm-raised duck" eggs were the cheapest because they were smaller and often lacked fertilization.

Handicrafts such as wooden items, forged goods, and woven items have prices that vary depending on the materials and design. Due to their bulkiness or weight and the difficulty in transporting them, retail prices are two or three times higher than the prices at the workshops, factories, or production facilities.

The leaves used for roofing and wall coverings (splitting the fronds of the nipa palm) are counted in full. Roof tiles and building bricks are counted in full, with some added (because some chips and breakage are inevitable during transportation). Fishing hooks are also counted in full, depending on the type.

For items grown locally, neither the seller nor the buyer needs to weigh or measure them; they simply estimate the quantity, calling it "buy by the bunch" (like vegetables), or implicitly guess the price and then negotiate (like fruits still on the tree: coconuts, mangoes, oranges, tangerines...).

How to calculate common service fees in the past

When hiring laborers to plow or harrow land using oxen or buffaloes, the payment is calculated based on "plowing" (1 represents one plowing or harrowing cycle), and the price is calculated per acre according to the agreed-upon rate. The landowner provides two meals a day for the oxen and buffalo owners. When digging ditches, excavating trenches, or carrying soil for house foundations, the payment is based on the "lower volume" (unexcavated soil, still compact and not loose).

Hired weeding is done on a daily basis, with wages paid daily. The landowner must work alongside the hired laborer to "guide" them; that is, if the owner works quickly, the hired laborer works quickly too, and vice versa. If the owner does not work directly, they can delegate a skilled worker to do it on their behalf.

Rice harvesting is paid by the "cong" (12 square cubits), depending on whether the harvest is good or bad. The rice owner pays the harvesters with rice grains, usually 1 bushel per cong. If the harvest is very good, it's 1.5 bushels per cong; if it's bad, it's 0.5 bushels per cong. Or, when using a cubit to measure, the owner may add a little more.

Renting land for rice cultivation (seasonal rice, one crop per year) is calculated based on the number of acres of land. The lessee pays the landowner in rice, which can be converted into money according to prior agreement, or based on the market price at the time of harvest. The rental period is by agreement, usually annually. Land tax is paid by the landowner to the state, then collected from the lessee, known as "rent collection". After harvesting the rice, the lessee has the right to directly plant another crop or allow others to plant another crop, but when returning the land, they must clear the land thoroughly (burn all the rice stubble).

If working on a daily basis, it's called a daily wage. Regardless of the type of work, the employer must provide meals three times a day, plus snacks, tea, or coffee depending on the employer's means. If working on a product-based business, the price is negotiated per product or per stage of production, depending on the agreement.

Masons, carpenters, silversmiths, etc., are paid on a piece-by-piece basis. For silversmiths, in addition to their wages, they also receive a "waste allowance," meaning that for an item weighing one tael of gold, they add one "waste allowance" (in reality, a skilled craftsman might only waste a few millimeters on a one-tael item).

Community service refers to the neighborly spirit of helping each other when needed (for example, roofing a house, planting rice, etc.). Usually, no payment is required, but the host must provide food and drink. If the work is too strenuous or takes too long, the host must consider paying a fair compensation or reward.

Some aspects of wholesale culture from the past.

In the spirit of mutual support and compassion, for those who are too poor to have money readily available, sellers are willing to allow them to pay later, a practice called "selling on credit," with payment due after several months; sometimes it's "selling on credit until harvest season," leaving the money until the rice/field harvest to settle accounts without adding interest.

However, for the small grocery stores in the neighborhood, where the owners were also poor, selling on credit would result in customers being late in paying, leaving them with no capital. Therefore, they were forced to write on the walls with chalk: "Low capital, no credit sales, please understand!"

In the market, people strongly disapprove of "buying and selling at the expense of others," so if such a situation occurs, they immediately advise, "There are a hundred sellers and a thousand buyers."

Another noteworthy cultural aspect is that when "packaging" goods for customers, sellers never tie knots but always leave a pull tab so that customers can easily unpack them.

All of the above points are very meticulous in some aspects, but upon closer examination, they are very liberal, contributing to the unique character of markets in the Mekong Delta.

NGUYEN HUU HIEP

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/chuyen-can-dong-do-dem-and-net-van-hoa-cho-dbscl-a192575.html