(Baonghean.vn) - Lam River is the largest in Nghe An, providing fresh water, alluvium and creating an important waterway traffic route and also providing many aquatic resources for people living on both sides of the river basin. April, when the warm sunlight shines, is also the peak season for clam digging. The river becomes bustling with each tide.
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| On warm sunny days, people of Cat Van, Thanh Lien, Thanh Van, Thanh Linh (Thanh Chuong) go to shallow water points torake mussels for food and sell to the market. On average, a person can rake about 40 kg per day. |
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| People have invented a tool called “clam rake”. It is a tool made from bamboo with sparse teeth to brush on the sand, the distance between the bamboo slats is just right so that when raked down, the sand flows away but the clams are retained. Nowadays, in addition to this tool, boatmen also rake clams with iron nets, which is very effective. |
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| A batch of mussels has been brought ashore and is being cleaned of stones to be sold. |
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| In addition to wading in the water, people in Hung Lam and Hung Khanh communes (Hung Nguyen) also use motorboats to rake mussels. |
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When the boat runs in the middle of the river, people use a net to rake the bottom, and the mussels drift in with the water.Mr. Nguyen Quoc Pham (45 years old, hamlet 9, Hung Lam commune) said: “I have been involved in this profession for more than 30 years, it has become the main occupation of my family. On a good day, I can rake more than 100 kg, and at night I earn more than a million, at least 800 thousand a day. It is hard work but I have income to support my children's education.” |
Close-up of clam raking net by boat. |
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| Each batch of rakes, when brought onto the boat, must be carefully selected before being sold to customers. |
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| When the tide recedes, it is also a good time for Hung Lam people to rake mussels on the mud of the shallows. |
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| River mussels are caught by people by feeling with their hands. |
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| Mussel rakers on the sandbank mainly serve the needs of their families. |
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| At the markets, mussels are sold.retailing at 10,000 VND/kg, in the summer, mussels are a clean product that many people look for. There are days when mussels are "out of stock" and hard to buy. |
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| Mussels are easy to prepare and use. You can cook mussel soup, mussel porridge, stir-fried mussels... Food made from mussels is rich in zinc and has a high cooling effect. |
Vuong Van - Dinh Ha
