A unique village in Nghe An specializing in hunting 'flying shrimp'.

When the rice harvest season arrives,flying shrimp"Grasshoppers (also known as locusts) breed and congregate in large numbers in rice fields. Every year, at this time, dozens of families in Quynh Thanh commune (Quynh Luu district) spread out everywhere to set traps and hunt locusts."

Along provincial road 537B leading down to the coastal communes of Quynh Luu, in the fields, people in Quynh Thanh commune are diligently setting nets and traps to hunt this type of insect.

People in Quynh Thanh commune (Quynh Luu district) set traps to catch grasshoppers. Photo: Viet Hung.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, a resident of Quynh Thanh commune, said: "With two rice harvests a year, people in the village take advantage of this opportunity to hunt locusts and earn extra income. On average, each family of three goes throughout the communes and districts every day to set traps and catch locusts."

Since the beginning of the season, traders have been buying at very high prices, so my family earns 1.5 to 2 million VND per day. If we work hard and travel further, this income can last for a whole month. No other job can provide a higher income while also protecting our crops."

A few fields away, another group of people from Quynh Thanh commune were chasing locusts in the Quynh Yen rice paddies. They stretched nets into a frame hundreds of meters long across the fields, then two people held the ends of ropes, walking and chasing the locusts towards the traps they had set up.

Startled, the "flying shrimp" hiding under the rice stalks immediately flew towards the trap. At this point, the villagers quickly folded up the nets and collected their catch. Ho Van Thanh happily recounted the success: "Each time we chased and caught grasshoppers, we got about 5 kg, which is worth about 600,000 dong; we were determined to catch 3-4 such traps this morning before going home."

Once the traps are set, people use ropes to chase the locusts towards them, then gather them in one place. Photo: Viet Hung

According to accounts from locals.hunting grasshoppersThis year, there are fewer locusts than in previous years, so the catch volume has decreased, but traders are buying them at high prices. Last year, at this time, the import price for "flying shrimp" was 70,000 - 80,000 VND/kg, but this year it has increased to 140,000 VND/kg (a record high price). For smaller ones, the price can reach up to 200,000 VND/kg (traders buy these to supply facilities that process them into bird feed).

Taking advantage of the rice harvest season, people in Quynh Thanh village (Quynh Luu district) travel dozens of kilometers to Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, and Dien Chau districts to hunt grasshoppers. Around late afternoon each day, they bring back hundreds of kilograms of these "flying shrimp" to two purchasing centers in Quynh Thanh commune (Quynh Luu district) and Quynh Thien ward (Hoang Mai town), and they immediately receive "real rice" (the actual rice).

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tai, a resident of Quynh Thanh commune, during the rice harvest season, local people travel to many places inside and outside the district to hunt locusts. From just a few hunters, the entire commune now has hundreds of people pursuing this profession, and this work has been a part of the people's lives for more than 10 years.

The groups of locust hunters are all members of the same family; during their free time between farming seasons, they arrange to travel across the fields to hunt.

To prepare for the hunt, people buy one or two sets of fine-mesh nets hundreds of meters long and sticks to make frames for encircling the locusts. The cost of a complete locust hunting kit is about 1-2 million VND, but it can be used for 3-4 years.

When asked about his experience in catching many locusts, Mr. Ho Van Thanh from Quynh Thanh (Quynh Luu) shared that besides diligence and perseverance, people need to identify areas with a high concentration of locusts. Currently, people are using the experience of scouting in the fields; if they see many locusts flying, they immediately gather everyone together to set traps. The most important thing is to place the traps in the right direction so that the locusts fly into them.

Flying shrimp are brought to collection points for sale. Photo: Viet Hung

Grasshoppers will be cleaned by collection centers, packed in refrigerated styrofoam boxes, and shipped to northern provinces for consumption. Grasshoppers, insects that usually destroy farmers' crops, are now considered a delicacy of the countryside. This is what makes the price of "flying shrimp" so high during this time.

According to research at Chuc Son market (Hanoi), after flying grasshoppers were imported from Nghe An, the selling price increased even further. Grasshoppers with legs and wings still attached cost 200,000 - 250,000 VND/kg. Those with their wings removed and cleaned cost 300,000 VND. Despite the high price, because they are caught in season and are safe, this specialty is sought after by food connoisseurs in urban areas and restaurants for use in dishes.