Ever since, Nga Son or Thanh Hoa has always been associated with sedge planting and mat weaving. The place produces world-class mats that are both comfortable and affordable, while its sedge flowers have been equated with class and elegance.

Life at Nga Son is simple but productive. Children go to school everyday while their parents take care of them, do chores and attend to their means of livelihood. But planting sedge and weaving mats are not a steady source of income since these industries are season dependent. In fact, for the last 10 years, the residents had to look for other ways to make money or at least just to make ends meet.

Recently, sedge planting and mat weaving got back up into the market again and have even enjoyed increase in productivity compared to the previous years. In 1999, Nga Son gained a 13% rise in sales compared in 1998, a total of a whopping 2,160,000 mats sold. It even surpassed sales in nylon mats. 3 Edges and White Flower are some of the varities of sedge that are abundant in Nga Son.

Today, the sedge and mat industries have become so stabilized that it is bringing not only a steady but a big income to the place. Work is still an issue, but the sedge business has already contributed to providing 16,550 jobs to the local residents of Nga Son. Sedge products brought in USD 1.78 million, equivalent to VND 25 billion. Sedge takes up more than one third of the total income of Nga Son, a total of VND 69 billion annual income.

Tourists visiting Nga Son bring home mats as souvenirs to remind them of the beauty of the place.