What is the salt writing contest?

The writing contest on salt making with the theme “A Hundred Years of Salt Making - Human Life” was organized to serve a national event, so the Provincial Union of Literature and Arts Associations proactively launched it widely: Connecting with the Mekong Delta Associations as well as launching it to associations nationwide. The Provincial Union of Literature and Arts Associations also took into account that this was a narrow and relatively new topic, so it expanded the genre to include both journalistic and literary reports.

Provincial Party Secretary - Lu Van Hung presented awards to the winners of the writing contest about Vietnam's salt making profession. Photo: HT

Yes! This is a narrow and new topic. In the 63 provinces and cities of the country, only a few localities have salt making profession, so not all journalists and artists understand and can write about the salt profession. That is why the number of contestants is not much, the contest only received 40 works.

Although the number of entries was low, the competition accomplished its mission. Out of 40 entries, 30 were of good quality. These entries gathered typical facts that formed the history of the Vietnamese salt industry. By approaching them, we can approach the history of the Vietnamese salt industry in a systematic and fundamental way.

The contest has given us a better understanding and touched by the usefulness of salt in our lives, which we eat and use every day but do not pay attention to, and do not have a meaningful perspective. The contest has mobilized the cultural values ​​in the lives of Vietnamese people that salt brings, through songs and folk songs, making people understand from the inside, from the soul of salt life to have emotions and responsibilities.

The competition also oriented the future of the salt making profession and affirmed Bac Lieu as the capital of Vietnam's salt industry.

The first prize literary essay “Carrying the Sun Out to the Fields” although only talks about the life of salt workers, but reading it, we see a genuine article, with the sincere and real eyes of the writer about the life of salt workers. Readers feel moved, love the life of salt workers from the professional, emotional and soulful writing style.

Second Prize, “Salt and Love” is a literary essay that delves into the culture of salt. Reading it, we find many beautiful folk songs and rhymes about salt from ancient times. Reading it, we find that in salt grains there are souls and the profound things of life.

Second Prize, “Bac Lieu Salt - Salty love, rich succession - Sweet salt passed down through generations” is a journalistic report, if we look for something bad, it is the title of the article is very long. But the advantage of the article is to affirm that Bac Lieu is the “capital” of salt in Vietnam; the formation, development and future orientation of the Bac Lieu salt industry.

The remaining entries of the Third Prize and the Encouragement Prize are also very good, but not perfect, with flaws here and there.

Looking at the overall contest, if we look for something that is not complete, unfortunately, it is the topic of Ba Thac salt. This is a specialty of Bac Lieu, if not the whole country, but many articles mention it but there is no article that goes into depth, clarifying the formation, the technique of making Ba Thac salt and why it is called that.

In short, this is a contest that, although the number of entries is not high, speaks fully about salt grains - human life. It completes its mission of providing a comprehensive, comprehensive and new vision to contribute to the 2025 Vietnam - Bac Lieu Salt Festival with more meaning.

Writer Phan Trung Nghia (Member of the Jury)

Source: https://www.baobaclieu.vn/festival-nghe-muoi-viet-nam-bac-lieu-2025/cuoc-thi-viet-ky-ve-muoi-duoc-gi-99662.html