Worm shoveling is only on the Hau River

Mr. Hoang left the house as soon as the sun came up, his motorbike was packed with two plastic tubs, a racket made of a fishing net one meter long, a small water bottle, a few cigarettes wrapped in plastic wrap.

The man is nearly 60 years old, driving in the direction of Xeo Tre canal, Hoa Lac commune, Phu Tan district – where nearly a dozen people are gathering worms. The zigzag canal, about 8 m wide, more than 15 km long, on both sides, people raise all kinds of catfish, snakehead, lady hai, chach lau… for breeding.

“Where there are many fish ponds, there are worms, but not all canals have them,” he said, then dug into the water to peel off a handful of mud with his hand. Looking closely in the slurry, he pointed to tiny pink worms that were moving. Estimating enough to shovel back to see that the water is clear, the flow is not eddy, he guessed that no one has practiced recently, decided to immerse himself in the start of the working day.

After 13 years of working with the profession, the man from Phu Tan no longer gets chills every time he goes into the water, even on winter days. Taking off his red T-shirt, he tied the string to two brasses and then wrapped it around his waist. This morning the water was poor, just across the stomach, his right hand was holding a racket, his left hand was scratching the mud, walking slowly step by step.

After about three meters, he stopped, selected large garbage, filtered the sludge, in the racket only a few small plant bases and worms as small as thread, and then poured into the basin. The work was repeated throughout the morning, but there were many places of worms, where there were few places to choose the garbage, when it was too “forlorn”, he turned the racquet upside down into the canal.

The sky stood still, the skin on his hands was wrinkled, the U60 man started to go ashore to go home for lunch, about two hours after work. “At worst, they can earn 200,000 VND per day. This job is hard work, not hard,” he said.

Nearby, Mr. Phan Van Tu has just started his working day at 9am. Arriving late, the river sections were all shoveled, he was not in a hurry and chatted a few sentences with his colleagues. Hearing that the people working with worm coal in Xeo Tre canal were getting less and less, the man nearly 40 years old invited: “Tomorrow my brothers and sisters will go to Hong Ngu, Dong Thap. There, Mr. Cuong’s group said there are many worms, but the water is deep, they have to dive. “.

Tu’s worm hunting journey is sometimes hundreds of kilometers away, to Tan Hong border district, bordering province or back to Cay Duong canal, Chau Phu district (An Giang) 30 km away. Those who enter the profession for a couple of years have to keep a few practice points ready, rotate, stay in one place, and earn a high income. “The place that won about three hours is full of two bowls, but there are very few places, empty in the afternoon,” Tu shared.

According to people in the profession, working in the canal sometimes stepped on sharp objects, cut legs, scratched hands. Each time, they tied the wound with a cloth, waited for the bleeding to stop, and then continued working. They did not forget to pick up the bottle and take it back to their room for themselves and others. In addition, many landowners along the canal chase away the worm shovelers for fear of landslides, the worm shovelers have to find another place.

Worms – like water worms, thin, pink body, usually live in slow-moving, warm, oxygen-deficient waters. When shoveling back, worms mixed with plant residues and mud, must be incubated in a basin of water, covered with hats. After about two hours, the worms gather into clusters, people can pick them up and sell them to traders or owners of fish ponds.

Worm shoveling by the Hau River develops with the fish fry farming village in Phu Tan. Farmers prefer to buy worms as food for fingerlings, fry stage (small size).

The price is currently ranging from 60,000-65,000 VND per kg, about 30,000 VND cheaper than before the same period last year. Prices drop, excavators sink longer to catch more. For them worm shoveling, it takes diligence to be able to feed a family. “For about 13 years now, there has been no job with a stable income like worm shoveling,” said Mr. Hoang as he left the water with a bowl of about 10 kg of worms.

Worm shoveling is only on the Hau River

Ngoc Tai