An Giang enters thot not sugar season
In the dry season which often causes trees to wither, thot not, a popular sugar palm plant in Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) region in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang produces sweeter fruit and water.
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| Residents in Bay Nui region therefore choose the dry season to make thot not sugar. The period between February and March is the high season for harvesting thot not water for sugar production. Many local families become busy as thot not sugar is still made manually. |
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| Two women pour liquid thot not sugar from one pot into another. The liquid obtained from thot not trees will be cooked into sugar. If men are responsible for climbing the trees to get water, cooking it will be the job of women. |
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| An unidentified woman makes a round mold for shaping thot not sugar. The mold can have different forms depending on customers’ requests but round is the most popular form. |
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| Two women pour cooked thot not sugar into molds. People do not use any preservative or other substances to whiten the sugar. |
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| A woman gets solid cakes of thot not sugar out of their molds. Those cakes will be wrapped in thot not leaves or nylon bags and wholesaled at VND20,000 (less than US$1) per kilo |
