In 2009, people living by the Nam Mu River in the rural district of Than Uyen in Lai Chau Northern Province found a large amount of sand flowing in a branch of the river.

Afterward, they split the branch into small dams to make it easier to collect sand and sold it to some construction projects in the area. Since then, collecting river-sand has become their routine job.

Every day about 200 people of all ages from the Thai ethnic minority in Nam Kim commune get drenched collecting sand left at the bottom of the river.

They use shovels or plastic baskets to scoop up sand and dump it on the bank. After the sand is dried, they will put it into jute bags that are later transferred to truck drivers waiting on the road.

A 3 to 4 person family can earn a daily income of VND200,000 from this job.

Some women scoop up sand using plastic baskets.

Collected sand is gathered in a small promontory in the middle of the river branch.

Workers sit by their own piles of sand during a break.

Women often carry jute bags of sand pick-a-back

Female workers transport jute bags of sand from the river to the road, where truck drivers are waiting.

A woman wears a beautiful smile on her face while carrying two jute bags of sand on her shoulder.

12-year-old boy Lo Van Tinh carries a jute bag of sand on his right shoulder to support his parents.