The profession of walking backwards on the coast of Nghe An

Xuan Hoang• DNUM_BGZABZCACC 09:33

(Baonghean.vn) - Every day, when the water recedes, fishermen in Nghe An coastal area rush out to sea to rake clams. The work is hard, requiring them to walk backward for hours in the seawater, but the income is not much.

Regardless of sun, rain, or cold, people in the coastal areas of Nghe An earn their living every day following the tides and the waves. Records at Dien Chau beach, Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai town in recent days show that many people go to the sea to rake clams. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khoa, residing in Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town, said that after walking backwards on the beach for a while, when the net was quite heavy, he pulled it ashore and dumped it on the sand, then continued to rake another batch. Photo: Xuan Hoang

At the end of the day, each person sits and picks up each clam from the jumble of rocks, clam shells, etc. According to Mr. Khoa, there are times when there are many clams, each day they can rake 30 - 40 kg, but at this time they can only collect more than 10 kg. These are natural clams, so traders buy them at the current price of 15,000 VND/kg, much lower than during the peak tourist season. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to fishermen, the tools used to rake clams are quite simple, including a rake made of stainless steel and a net, with a total value of more than 1 million VND. Photo: Xuan Hoang

For fishermen in Hien Hai commune, Dien Kim... (Dien Chau), the clam raking tools are simpler, so they just rake on the sandbank that has been drained of water. This is considered a traditional profession of fishermen in the coastal area of Nghe An that has been preserved for many generations. People here also jokingly call this job "going backwards", the simple reason is that anyone who goes to rake clams must go backwards. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Ms. Kham, a fisherman in Dien Hai commune, said that this clam raking also requires a special technique. When raking, you have to bend over, hold the bamboo handle with both hands, use force to press the scraper blade into the sand about 10 cm deep and pull it back. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Wild clams are taken from under the sand during the raking process. Photo: Xuan Hoang

When the tide is low, Nghe An’s beaches reveal long stretches of sand. The daily lives of the locals here blend with the sound of the ocean waves. Photo: Xuan Hoang