In late june, Bui Thi Van, 70, wades onto the rock flat about 500 m from Go Co village, Sa Huynh, where waves have receded after a night's surge. The pockmarked rock surface holds pools of seawater, sparkling under the sun. She bends, observing salt crystals forming, slowly growing like blossoming flowers on the rock.

This work has been her life since childhood, listening to her father's tales of the trade. Now, at 70 years old, she preserves and passes on this unique salt-making method. "The craft is very old, passed down through generations. We maintain the traditional way but have improved it for cleaner salt", Van says.

The rock flat where salt crystallizes in small depressions. Photo: Vu Linh

The salt-making rock flat, adjacent to the sea, is relatively even. Van selects natural rock depressions located higher up, safe from waves. She fills them with seawater and lets them sun-dry for about seven days to increase salinity.

In these "salt fields", she builds dikes using a mixture of clay and sand around the low-lying rock depressions, then pours in the pre-sun-dried seawater.

After three to four days, the salt begins to crystallize. During this period, she must be constantly vigilant. If rain threatens, she quickly scoops the water into lidded containers; under intense midday sun, she adds more concentrated seawater to speed up crystallization.

"Just one rain shower before the salt crystallizes means ten days of effort are completely lost", she states.

Van uses a scoop to pour sun-dried seawater into rock depressions for salt crystallization. Photo: Vu Linh

Unlike conventional salt production where crystals settle at the bottom, Sa Huynh rock salt forms suspended clumps in the water, with crystals intertwining and growing larger.

During harvest, the salt is gently detached in clumps, then mixed with water to remove impurities. It is then sieved to separate larger grains and further sun-dried until completely white and dry. The finished product has a clean, mild salty taste.

According to Van, this type of salt enhances the flavor of fish sauce and can preserve fish for a year without releasing water.

Every three days, she harvests seven to eight kg of salt. She is currently the most persistent guardian of the craft, also mentoring the two other practitioners, Ga and Que. Van also leads the Go Co Ancient Salt Flat Conservation Team.

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Under the team's regulations, all salt is sold to the Go Co Village Community Tourism Cooperative to be offered as gifts to tourists who purchase tour tickets. The purchase price is 100,000 VND per kg, about 100 times higher than regular salt.

"This method helps local residents avoid price competition, increases income from tourism, and prevents the ancient rock salt flat's product from being counterfeited", a cooperative representative explains.

Desire to bring the thousand-year heritage to the world

The rock flat where Van makes salt is located within Go Co village, an area spanning about 105 hectares that preserves many traces of the 3,000-year-old Sa Huynh culture. Rocks are ubiquitous, found in the salt flat, village roads, fences, and even water wells.

In 2024, Doctor Tran Ngoc Khoi, Deputy Director of Quang Ngai Provincial Museum, stumbled upon the salt flat while researching Sa Huynh culture and observed local residents carrying salt on the rock flat.

According to him, the salt flat covers about 10 hectares and dates back about 2,000 years. "It is highly probable that Sa Huynh residents utilized the natural rock foundation and seawater source to produce salt for their daily lives", Khoi assesses.

Journalist Suzuki Katsuhiko (seated, fifth from right) visits the rock salt flat in Go Co village. Photo: Vu Linh

This discovery has attracted many visitors to Go Co village, including Japanese journalist Suzuki Katsuhiko, former Bureau Chief of Akahata newspaper in Hanoi.

He passed through Sa Huynh in 1976 and always remembered the coastal salt fields. Nearly 50 years later, during a survey trip to Quang Ngai, he decided to seek out this place again.

"I am deeply moved to visit Sa Huynh salt village", he states.

After witnessing the production process firsthand and tasting the product, he expressed his astonishment.

"Japan has many famous types of salt. But the salt-making method of Sa Huynh residents surprised us. The salt here is very good", he comments.

Accompanying the delegation, Honda Kato, a Japanese agriculture expert, mentioned that he had visited salt villages in Okinawa many times and found Sa Huynh salt to be equally impressive.

Suzuki states he will engage with Japanese businesses to introduce the natural salt-making model of Vietnam and Japan to the world.

Nguyen Duc Binh, Deputy Director of Quang Ngai Department of Agriculture and Environment, considers the interest from international experts and tourists a positive signal for the locality.

According to the Go Co Village Community Tourism Cooperative, the goal is not to expand production but to transform the salt flat into a tourist destination.

The salt is not sold by weight but gifted to visitors. Its value lies in the visiting experience, the story of preserving traditional craft, and the living space of ancient Sa Huynh residents.

The Go Co Ancient Salt Flat is currently proposed by the Quang Ngai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for inclusion within the scope of the Sa Huynh Culture Special National Relic.

Nhat Thao - Pham Linh