[Photo series] Making a living on hills of melaleuca cuttings

If you have the chance to travel across the roads in Tri An commune, Dong Nai province, you will be drawn to the lush green hills stretching seemingly without end. These are melaleuca cuttings gardens, the small sapling cuttings that have become the livelihood of hundreds of families here.

Residents of Tri An commune cut melaleuca cuttings early in the morning on the verdant hillsides. Photo: Quang Huy

On the sun-drenched hillsides, farmers work diligently with nothing more than a pair of scissors, gloves, and their distinctive homemade heat-resistant hats. They carefully trim each melaleuca cutting tip, a segment of melaleuca (cajeput) measuring 5 to 20 centimeters, in preparation for the next germination cycle.

The melaleuca cuttings trade in Tri An has been established for over 20 years, evolving into a specialized region for producing melaleuca saplings supplied to markets nationwide. For more than a decade, the movement of planting melaleuca for nursery cuttings has flourished, transforming once-barren hillsides into lush, vibrant green landscapes. According to statistics from the People's Committee of Tri An commune, the commune is currently home to 60 households growing melaleuca cuttings across approximately 118 hectares.

Melaleuca cuttings gardens viewed from above. Photo: Quang Huy

The once-barren hills now wear a fresh, eye-catching green coat. Photo: Minh Hanh

Chairwoman of the Tri An Commune People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Dung visits a melaleuca cuttings garden. Photo: Quang Huy

The melaleuca cutting trade not only provides growers with a stable income but also serves as an accessible source of earnings for women, older seniors, and children in the area. Thanks to this work, most residents have escaped poverty, earned money to educate their children, and built more spacious homes.

Duong Thi Lich shares her job experiences while working. Photo: Minh Hanh

Workers must cut and hold the melaleuca cutting tips in their hands until they have enough for one bundle. Photo: Minh Hanh

Among them is Duong Thi Lich (43 years old, residing in Tri An commune), who has been devoted to the melaleuca cuttings trade for nearly nine years. Each day, she puts on the heat-resistant hat she sewed at home, slips on her gloves, picks up her scissors, and steps into the green rows of melaleuca still soaked with morning dew.

The work begins by selecting tips that are “old enough,” making two or three firm snips, trimming away excess leaves, and holding them in her hands until she has gathered 100 cuttings to tie into a single bundle.

Tips that are old enough are selected before cutting. Photo: Minh Hanh

“Just normal cutting, once you're used to it, two or three snips are enough for one tip,” she says while working. On average, she cuts 100 bundles a day. On days when she feels stronger or has fewer household chores, she reaches 120 to 130 bundles. With a wage of 5,000 VND per bundle, her daily income reaches approximately 500,000 VND, equivalent to more than 10 million VND per month.

Lich shares: “Since doing this job, my family’s life has improved compared to before. The working hours are flexible, and I still have time to take my children to school in the mornings, unlike factory work, which is more restricted. Cutting 100 bundles a day is quite manageable. If I cut faster, I can earn even more.”

As for Tran Thi Hoa (residing in Tri An commune), nearly 70 years old and with declining health, she can no longer handle heavy tasks like before. The lighter, flexible melaleuca cutting work is almost the only job she is still capable of doing. Each day, she cuts about 40 bundles, earning around 200,000 VND.

Tran Thi Hoa, nearly 70 years old, still diligently cuts melaleuca cuttings every day. Photo: Minh Hanh

Hoa confides: “I am old now and can only do this job. I used to do housework for others, but in recent years my health has weakened, and I also have to take care of my young grandchild in kindergarten, so melaleuca cutting has become the main source of income for the two of us”.

Garden owners collect the bundles of Melaleuca cuttings that have been completed. Photo: Minh Hanh

Bundles of melaleuca cuttings are neatly placed in a corner awaiting transport. Photo: Quang Huy

Melaleuca cutting is year-round work, unaffected by major cropping seasons. About three months after planting, the saplings are ready for their first cut. New tips emerge every 15 days thereafter, allowing for continuous harvesting. Workers must select tips that grow upright, have thick stems, and are at the proper stage of maturity.

These bundles of melaleuca cuttings are then delivered to sapling nurseries, continuing their journey of distribution to provinces and cities across the country.

By Minh Hanh, Quang Huy – Translated by Minh Hanh, Minho