The Lunar New Year season in the traditional craft villages of the Mekong Delta.

People in coastal villages are increasing production to meet demand during the Lunar New Year.

Seaside villages are bustling with activity as Tet approaches.

Coastal districts of Ca Mau province such as Phu Tan, Nam Can, Dam Doi, Ngoc Hien, etc., are currently in the season for exploiting, catching, and harvesting seafood, so the input materials at purchasing facilities are sufficient to meet market demand.

With the largest and most famous dried fish processing village in Ca Mau, these days, more than 100 businesses and households producing and trading dried fish in Cai Doi Vam town (Phu Tan district) are busy working every day to meet the delivery deadline for the 2025 Lunar New Year. At this time, the average income for a hired dried fish worker is between 200,000 and 400,000 VND per day, so people are also taking advantage of the opportunity to increase their income for the Tet holiday.

People process dried scad fish to meet the demand during the Lunar New Year.

Having worked in the fish drying business for over two years, Ms. Pham Thi Hang (residing in Hamlet 4, Cai Doi Vam town) shared: “I earn over 300,000 VND per day, which helps cover my family's living expenses. Dried fish is usually sun-dried for 2-3 days to ensure it can be stored for a long time and retains its aroma and flavor.”

Ms. Ly Anh Thu, Director of Anh Thu Cooperative in Rach Goc town, Ngoc Hien district, said that to prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year), the cooperative has prepared about 6 tons of various goods. According to Ms. Thu, consumer demand this year is higher than last year, with braised fish, sweet potato fish, and grouper being popular among customers, so purchasing power has increased threefold compared to before.

People in the dried seafood village of Dong Hai district, Bac Lieu province, are busily preparing products for the Lunar New Year.

In the dried seafood village of Gành Hào town (Đông Hải district, Bạc Liêu province), the atmosphere is bustling with activity. The dried seafood village here is divided into several levels, from small-scale, traditional family-run dried seafood businesses to large-scale production facilities.

Ms. Thanh Thuy, owner of Thanh Thuy dried seafood production facility (Ganh Hao town), said that in recent days, her facility has produced an average of over 1 ton of various dried seafood products, as well as shrimp paste and spring rolls. Orders are increasing, and the facility has had to hire more workers and increase its production capacity to meet demand. “After production, the dried seafood products are sold to neighboring provinces such as Soc Trang, Ca Mau, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City…,” Ms. Thuy shared.

According to Mr. Ho Thanh Tuan, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dong Hai district, with nearly 40 production and processing facilities, the dried seafood production facilities in Ganh Hao town supply the market with 500-700 tons of various products annually. Building the OCOP brand not only enhances value but also helps dried seafood products in Ganh Hao reach a wider market.

Dried seafood from villages in the western provinces is always present in the meals of many families.

Bustling village of rice paper makers.

Along with dried fish, rice paper is one of the popular dishes during Tet (Lunar New Year) in the Mekong Delta and many other regions, and is often purchased as a gift for relatives during the holiday.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, in traditional rice paper-making villages such as Cu Lao May (Luc Si Thanh commune, Tra On district, Vinh Long province) and Thuan Hung village (Thuan Hung ward, Thot Not district, Can Tho city), people are working busily from dawn until late at night. With many orders, some households have had to add 3-4 rice paper making ovens; some have even invested hundreds of millions of dong in modern production lines, including drying ovens, to dry their own products and also offer drying services for others.

Families making rice paper in Thuan Hung craft village are preparing Tet (Lunar New Year) goods for customers.

With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Ha Thi Sau (Thuan Hung Ward, Thot Not District, Can Tho City) said that this Tet holiday, her facility produces about 10,000 rice paper sheets per day. Besides regular customers, many new customers have come to place orders.

"This job is very hard work, but it's also fun because we have a steady income every day, so we don't have to work for others. It gets even busier and more bustling during Tet (Lunar New Year), and the income is higher, so everyone is enthusiastic about the work," said Mrs. Sau.

According to Ms. Sau, this year she's making more rice paper and receiving more orders than in previous years, so her facility has had to hire extra workers to keep up with demand. The daily labor cost is 300,000 VND per person.

To prepare for the Lunar New Year rice paper festival, Mrs. Tran Thi Yen's rice paper production facility has been busy since the 11th lunar month.

Ms. Tran Thi Yen (owner of a rice paper production facility in Thuan Hung Ward, Thot Not District, Can Tho City) shared that to serve customers during the Lunar New Year, her facility starts getting busy from the 11th lunar month. Every day, everyone has to work from 1 AM until around 3 PM to finish in time for delivery.

Currently, Ms. Yen's establishment offers many types of rice paper, each with a different price. Specifically, plain rice paper costs between 65,000 and 70,000 VND per 70 pieces; sweet rice paper costs 140,000 VND per 100 pieces; special rice paper costs 300,000 VND per 100 pieces; and baked coconut and sesame rice paper costs 350,000 VND per 100 pieces.

"Although it's hard work, we can earn 1 million dong a day, doubling or tripling our income compared to normal days, so everyone in the rice paper making village is excited," added Mrs. Yen.

Traditional craft villages in Thanh Hoa province are bustling with activity in preparation for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/mua-tet-cua-lang-nghe-dac-san-mien-tay-1737055637040.htm