Hunting “deep” specialties to earn half a million dong a day

Digging deep is the main income earner of many people in Van Don district. They often go to the tidal flats along the shore of Bai Tu Long Bay to dig deep, earning from 500,000 to 600,000 VND per day.

Depending on the water, people can dig deep for 3 to 4 hours. Photo: VnExpress.

When the sea level goes down, revealing tidal flats along the coast is also the time when people start hunting this seafood species. Depending on the water, people can dig deep for 3 to 4 hours.

Share with VnExpress , Ms. Ha Hai Hien (41 years old, Ha Long commune, Van Don district) said that she has been working as a worm hunter for more than 20 years. This is the main source of income, helping her to take care of her children’s education.

According to Ms. Hien, in order to know where there is an earthworm, one must find its correct burrow. Those are small holes with mounds of sand extruding around. Where there are few eyes, there are many big and thick meat.

The tool for hunting “sea locusts” is a pickaxe with a bucket or barrel. When detecting a place where there are earthworms, the hunter begins to hoe. After the first stroke, the following strokes must be hoe very quickly because just hearing a small sound will make the animal go deep down.

The earthworm has an elongated cylindrical shape. Photo: VnExpress.

Soil depth is located 10 to 30 cm below the sandy layer. It has an elongated cylinder that shrinks when it is picked up and put in a barrel. Many are about the size of a thumb.

According to the people of Van Don, the earthworm belongs to the same family as the sa worm, but has a yellow-black color instead of a pale pink color like the sa worm. Photo: VnExpress.

Soil worms (also known as earthworms, fortifications, cut potatoes, earthworms…) are abundant in sandy sandy soils mixed with mud. According to the people of Van Don, the earthworm belongs to the same family as the sa worm, but has a yellow-black color instead of a pale pink color like the sa worm. According to traditional medicinal documents, ginseng is salty, cold, has the effect of nourishing the yin and cooling, cooling the lungs, improving the function of spleen and stomach, often used to treat diseases such as hot flashes in the stomach. deep inside or fever in the afternoon, sweating, coughing and sputum profuse due to waste; frequent nocturia…

According to traditional medicinal documents, ground ginseng has the effect of nourishing the yin and cooling, cooling the lungs, improving the function of the spleen and stomach,… Photo: Dan Viet

According to folklore, ground ginseng has the effect of tonic kidney, beneficial essence, curing physiological weakness, impotence. Fresh ground ginseng is processed into fried, sautéed, grilled or cooked porridge for sick people to improve health, while wormwood is often dried. Currently, ginseng is an expensive specialty at restaurants.

Not only in Van Don, digging earthen ginseng is also the main income earner for many people living along the mangroves of Ca Mau. Photo: Vietnamese people.

It is known that earthworms will be cleaned of intestines and turned inside to outside. The soil worm after turning from the inside to the outside will be white. After cleaning, soil worms are bought back by restaurants and eateries for between 500,000 and 600,000 VND/kg. During Tet, the price can increase from 800,000 to 900,000 VND/kg.

Ms. Bui Thi Sen (32 years old, Ha Long commune, Van Don district) said that at present, the tidal flats in Van Don do not have much soil depth. Before, people could catch 3 to 4 kg per day, but now they can only catch more than 1 kg a day when hoeing. In addition, in recent years, Van Don district has had many projects to encroach on the sea, the tidal flats are gradually narrowing, making hunting “heavenly fortune” more difficult.