The vacuum drying characteristics of water-saturated porous media were studied experimentally. The water-saturated porous media, water-saturated sand layer, was heated by the isothermal bottom wall of the rectangular vessel. The vacuum drying rate and temperature distribution of the sand layer were measured and calculated under a variety of conditions of heated wall temperature, vacuum rate, and thickness of the test material. It was found that the drying rate due to the heat and mass teansfer is greatly influenced by the heated wall temperature, vacuum rate, and thickness of the test material.