Clam raking on Lam River

(Baonghean) - The early summer sunlight gilded the water surface, the ferry slowly took passengers across the river. From Xuan Lam ferry, looking to the right bank, small figures of people were seen in the middle of the river. The ferryman said that during the clam raking season, the Lam River flowing through Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan district, was always crowded and bustling. The clam raking season here starts from the third to the sixth lunar month.

About 100m from Van Ru ferry, the sand and gravel piles are gathered here, the river water is only up to the knees of adults. In the middle of the vast river and fields, people are bending over to search and sift for mussels like tiny storks. Seeing strangers coming to take pictures, everyone seems hesitant, someone says loudly, "Why take pictures of this difficult and arduous scene?"

Lam River is bustling with people raking mussels

After a long time of getting to know each other, we were able to talk to Mr. Hoa in hamlet 6. With a haggard appearance and dark skin, he looked much older than his 60 years. Originally a fisherman, the people in the area depended on the river for their livelihood. Clam raking used to be the livelihood of many families. About 30 years ago, people flocked to the river from dawn, children, adults, and the elderly with ropes around their necks, and trudged back until noon. Mr. Hoa did not know when the clam raking profession began and when he first learned to rake clams, he only knew that it was very familiar... In his childhood, he was familiar with the strong smell of clam shells, used to playing the game of hopscotch with the children around the piles of clam shells along the dike at the beginning of the village. Now, life has improved a lot, his health is not the same as before, but sometimes he still goes to this river wharf to catch clams to cook soup...

Every day after school, Hoang goes to the river to rake mussels.

Mussel raking involves being soaked in water all day, which can easily lead to bone and joint diseases. All day, you are exposed to the sun and water, and at night you have to work hard to clean and wash the mussels. After a short nap, you have to wake up at 3am to light the stove to boil the mussels. "3 boils, 2 overflows", the mussel pot boils, the water overflows from the pot, use chopsticks to stir evenly, until the mussels "open their mouths", take them out to drain and start the process of cleaning out the intestines. This is a step that requires the skill and patience of the woman. The process of boiling mussels is complicated and elaborate, many people sell the mussels to traders after catching them.

Most of the fishermen in Khanh Son commune have now "gone ashore", and not many people are interested in clam farming. Instead, the job of growing mulberry and raising silkworms, the green rice fields and corn fields help people have a full and prosperous life. But it seems that the nostalgia for the river is still somewhere in the subconscious of the fishermen. In the dry season, this part of the river is bustling with people raking clams. Whenever they miss the cool, sweet taste of a bowl of clam soup, they take advantage of the warm, sunny weather to go to the river to rake clams. Mrs. Hoa and her husband are retired teachers, seeing everyone happily raking clams, they also brought baskets and bags to follow. Having collected about 3 kilos of clam shells, she was happy because she had clam soup for her family's dinner. Ms. Hien in hamlet 6 also took the opportunity to visit the fields, along with clam catching tools. All she needed was a thick woven basket, a rake and a bag to be able to "practice her profession". She said: “During the dry season, mussels drift along with sand and gravel to this part of the river in great numbers. They all feed on Lam River water, but I don’t understand why mussels in this part of the river are fatter and sweeter than many other places. Mussels with black shells are fatter because they eat a lot of plankton, while mussels with yellow shells eat sand and are not very fat.”

The mussels on the Lam River not only bring a pot of sweet and cool soup to families, but are also a significant source of income for Mr. Hung's family in Hamlet 8. Although not fishermen, Mr. Hung and his wife are often present at this river wharf during mussel season. Taking advantage of the warm and sunny weather, the couple rakes and sifts each mussel. Every day, spending just a few hours, the couple rakes about 10 kg of mussel shells, selling for over 100,000 VND. In addition to 4 sao of contracted rice fields, this is a significant source of income for him to stabilize his life and raise his children to go to school.

Not only Mr. Hung and his wife, but also Hoang, an 8th grade student, often comes to this river wharf after each school day. Feeling sorry for his parents who work hard all year round but are still poor, Hoang followed his uncles and aunts in the village to the river to rake mussels to sell. Carrying a bag of mussels about 5 kg and waiting for the traders to buy, Hoang shyly looked at us and whispered: "I'm used to catching mussels, it's so much fun. A kilo of mussel shells sells for 11,000 VND. With this much mussels, I have nearly 60,000 VND". I felt the joy and excitement through Hoang's eyes, even though his clothes were soaked and his face was covered in mud. It seemed that Hoang's childhood, and that of many children of Khanh Son commune, grew up by this river, growing up from bowls of cool, sweet, rich mussel soup...

The Lam River carries heavy alluvium with many happy and sad memories, filled and emptied with the water, tirelessly enriching the villages along the river. The mussel meat is chewy, fragrant, the mussel broth is clear and sweet. In the summer, just a bowl of mussel soup with some eggplants or a plate of stir-fried mussels with rice paper can make many children far away from home yearn for their homeland, their mothers and sisters who work hard by the river.

Article and photos:Nguyen Le - Luong Thuy