In Ca Mau, people wade through the fields to pick ghost water lilies called "Thuy Nu" to sell as a specialty vegetable, attracting thousands of people.

Clip: Mrs. Tran Thi An (80 years old), residing in Hamlet 5, Khanh Binh Dong Commune, Tran Van Thoi District, Ca Mau Province, wades through the fields to pick water lilies to sell for daily income during the rainy season. Video : Hoang Hanh

In the sweetening districts of Ca Mau province such as Thoi Binh district, U Minh district and Tran Van Thoi district, from September to November of the lunar calendar every year is considered the harvest season of "heaven's blessings", with fields of ghost water lilies growing and blooming white on vast fields of water.

For many years now, every rainy season, Mrs. Tran Thi An (80 years old), residing in Hamlet 5, Khanh Binh Dong Commune, Tran Van Thoi District, wades through the fields to pick water lilies to sell to earn money to buy betel and areca nuts to reduce the burden on her children and grandchildren.

"During the dry season, the lotus roots hide under a deep layer of mud, and when it rains, they start to grow. I alone wade through the water to pick lotuses and earn more than 100,000 VND a day," Mrs. An said with a smile.

During the rainy season every year, ghost water lilies begin to flourish on the land of people in three sweetening districts of Ca Mau province: Tran Van Thoi, U Minh and Thoi Binh, and people have an additional source of income from picking ghost water lilies and selling them to traders. Photo: An An

Ms. Tran Thi An (80 years old), residing in Hamlet 5, Khanh Binh Dong Commune, Tran Van Thoi District, Ca Mau Province, said that she alone wades through the water to pick this type of water lily, considered a "gift from heaven", and earns about 100,000 VND a day. Photo: An An.

Mrs. An said that seeing her old age, everyone advised her not to go out into the fields to wade through the water, but she said that as long as people have the strength, they will continue to work to eat.

"I have been working on the fields for decades, so I cannot stay in one place and let my children and grandchildren take care of me. While I am still healthy, I will work to earn money for myself, and work for my children and grandchildren to follow, I cannot rely on them," Ms. An shared.

According to Mrs. An, the ghost lotus usually blooms at night, with long, thin stems that are white, purple or pink.

The water lily belongs to the aquatic plant family, with a spongy stem and round leaves that float on the water surface. So people just need to wade or sit on a boat to pluck each blooming water lily stem and bring it home to sell.

Ghost water lilies grow wild in the flooded fields in the freshwater areas of Ca Mau province and bloom at night, and every morning, people just need to row a boat or wade through the fields and gently pull out the blooming plants with their hands to sell. Photo: An An

Ms. An said that the ghost water lily has the characteristic that wherever the water goes, the water lily follows. Sometimes the water lily is several meters long, and in low water areas, the water lily can reach more than 1 meter. Photo: An An

After picking the water lilies, people in the sweet region of Ca Mau put them in bundles and wait for traders to come to their homes to collect them. On average, each kilogram of water lilies will be sold for 2,000 - 3,000 thousand VND. This job also helps people earn extra income during their off-season. Photo: An An.

Like other villagers, every year when the fields are full of water lilies, Ms. Vo Thi Dam also has an extra income of several tens to 100,000 VND from picking water lilies to sell during the off-season.

"This is considered a wild vegetable, soft and sweet. They can be eaten raw when dipped in braised fish, or processed into stir-fried dishes, soups, etc.," said Ms. Dam.

Because it is currently the blooming season of water lilies, traders are purchasing this "specialty vegetable" for around 3,000 VND/kg.

Local people said that during this season, everyone rushes to the fields to pick water lilies to sell to traders.

On average, a family in the sweet region of Ca Mau can earn from 100 to 150 thousand VND/day by picking water lilies, depending on the number of rice fields in their home with more or less water lilies.

To get a higher price, Ms. An also puts water lilies on a wheelbarrow and pushes them along the rural roads in Khanh Binh Dong commune to sell them to people for daily consumption. Photo: An An

Source: https://danviet.vn/o-ca-mau-dan-loi-dong-nho-bong-sung-ma-ten-thuy-nu-ban-lam-rau-dac-san-van-nguoi-me-20241011111550091.htm