Floating log market struggles as traders abandon profession

The Ngã Bảy floating log market, once a bustling hub on the Cái Côn river, now presents a starkly different scene. Long lines of boats laden with timber like tràm and đước used to fill this waterway. Today, fewer vessels are seen, with many loggers struggling to sell their cargo at a profitable price. Some boats have been docked for a week, awaiting buyers.

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Young people are leaving the job gradually, because it's too hard and the profit is not much.

Younger generations are increasingly turning away from the profession. "Young people are leaving the job gradually, because it's too hard and the profit is not much," said one observer. The work is physically demanding, and the returns are minimal, making it an unattractive prospect for many.

Loggers like Nguyễn Công Đương, 37, describe the arduous journey to the market. He arrived at Ngã Bảy after traveling since the early morning, only to find his 40 tons of wood unsold after days of waiting. "It's too difficult to sell," he lamented. The current market conditions, with reduced demand for wood and lower prices from fruit tree orchards, make it hard to recoup costs.

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It's too difficult to sell.

Prices for logs currently range from 2.3 to 2.4 million Vietnamese dong per cubic meter. This price, coupled with the extended time spent waiting at the market, leads many, like Đương, to believe they will incur losses. "If we wait too long, the quality of the wood deteriorates. Buyers will tap it and hear the water content, then offer a much lower price. So, even if it's a loss, we have to sell and go back," Đương explained.

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If we wait too long, the quality of the wood deteriorates. Buyers will tap it and hear the water content, then offer a much lower price. So, even if it's a loss, we have to sell and go back.

Trương Văn Sáng, 45, faces a similar predicament. After paying his brother for assistance and the orchard owners, he estimates a loss of nearly ten million dong on his current trip. "I can't stay here forever. I've already committed to a mangrove wood deal in Năm Căn. I have to rush back to get the workers to cut it quickly and bring it here to offset this loss," he shared. For Sáng and his family of four, this boat is their sole source of income, a livelihood that has sustained them for the past decade.

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I can't stay here forever. I've already committed to a mangrove wood deal in Năm Căn. I have to rush back to get the workers to cut it quickly and bring it here to offset this loss.