The profession of collecting freshwater crabs

(Baonghean) - In recent years, freshwater crabs have become a favorite dish among city dwellers. Many people from rural areas of Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, etc., flock to catch freshwater crabs, and there are quite a few collection points for crabs to be transported to Hanoi for consumption.

Despite the scorching heat, many people were still wading through the rice fields in Long Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) to "hunt" for crabs. Tran Thi Hoa, a 9th-grade student, said: "Since it's summer vacation, my sister and I go crabbing. We catch 2-3 kg a day, selling them at 85,000 VND/kg, earning 150,000-200,000 VND a day, which helps us earn a little extra income to support our family." Mrs. Khiem Tu, 65 years old, from Phan Thanh hamlet, waded through the rice fields with a sack full of crabs. She shared: "My experience is that I usually go crabbing at noon. Even though it's hot, the crabs hide in their burrows, making them easier to catch. On a slow day, I catch 2 kg; on a good day, I can catch 5-7 kg, which helps us make ends meet."

Mr. Khuong An from Hamlet 3, Long Thanh Commune, and his son are taking crabs to Hanoi.

Currently, in Long Thanh commune, there is a group of people specializing in catching crabs using "traps" on the canals. At dusk, we saw several people transporting dozens of traps on motorbikes and setting them in a section of the river. In just one stretch of the narrow river, there were 3-4 traps stacked on top of each other. Mr. Tran The from Phan Thanh hamlet, Long Thanh, said: "The narrow section of the river, with its dense reeds and rushes, is where crabs like to hide. We set about 20 traps from 6 pm the day before, and then collect them at 6 am the next morning. If we're lucky, we can get a whole ten kilograms of crabs." The traps are woven from bamboo and reeds, about 70 cm long and 30 cm wide, with two openings for the crabs to enter. Using these traps has the advantage of being both strenuous and catching larger crabs, which fetch a higher price.

In Loc Thanh hamlet, Nam Thanh commune, there are over 80 people who specialize in catching freshwater crabs, including 5-6 who usually go crabbing at night. Nguyen Tho Nhan, the best night crab catcher in Loc Thanh hamlet, excitedly recounts: “During the day, we take a nap, then around 4 pm we eat lunch and prepare our equipment – ​​flashlights, batteries, sacks – before heading out. We wade through the rice paddies all night, sometimes venturing into the territory of other communes to hunt crabs. We return around 5-6 am; sometimes we get 2-3 kg, other times over 10 kg.” According to Nhan, "hunting" crabs at night is cool, and the crabs crawl out to find food, so you just need to shine a flashlight to pick them up. However, catching crabs at night is also very dangerous; some people have died from venomous snake bites.

Heading up to Thinh Son and Hoa Son communes (Do Luong district) from dawn, we saw quite a few crab hunters fanning out across the fields. Every ditch and puddle was being searched. Mr. Tran Chien from Hoa Son commune said: “Ten years ago, crabs were incredibly abundant; every summer, crabs would crawl all over the fields. Now, with so many people catching them, crabs have become scarce. Some crab hunters in Do Luong have to go all the way to Tan Ky and Anh Son districts…”

Around 11 a.m., the crab purchasing point at Troc Lai Bridge in Xuan Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) is quite bustling. After a morning of catching crabs, about 30-40 people return to sell to the "crab traders." Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, a crab buyer, said: "Around 9 a.m., if you stand at Troc Lai Bridge, people will bring crabs to sell. Some sell only 3-5 ounces, others sell a whole 10 kg, but they are all bought up. Each day, we collect about 20-30 kg of crabs and then sell them to larger traders." In Yen Thanh district, almost every commune has one or two "crab traders" who come to buy crabs. Previously, they would sit in one place at the edge of the village for crab catchers to come and sell, but now, due to high demand, they have to go out into the fields to collect them.

Following the crab traders, we arrived at a large crab collection point at the home of Mr. Khuong An in Hamlet 3, Long Thanh Commune, the largest crab purchasing point in Yen Thanh District. Here, crab "hunters" from the commune and traders from all over come to unload their goods. Inside the house, sacks of crabs were piled high. Mr. Khuong An was directing workers to process and refrigerate the crabs before packing them into styrofoam boxes for shipment to Hanoi. He explained: "Initially, we started a small-scale collection point, gathering 1-2 quintals of crabs daily and transporting them to Hanoi by passenger buses. But due to strong market demand, we've had to expand the scale, collecting up to 1.5 tons of crabs on peak days. My family has 5-7 workers working continuously to keep up with packing orders for Hanoi. In the hot weather, we need special preservation techniques to ensure the crabs stay fresh." After collecting the crabs, they are placed in large metal containers and packed with ice to maintain a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius. After packing them in styrofoam boxes, the goods are transported by motorbike to the Cau Bung intersection (Dien Ky - Dien Chau) and then shipped by passenger bus to Hanoi for the buyers. The purchase price at home is 85,000 VND/kg, while the selling price in Hanoi is 95,000 VND/kg. From this crab collecting business, after deducting expenses, he earns 35-40 million VND per month. The entire Long Thanh commune has 6 crab collection points for transporting crabs to Hanoi, such as the collection point of Mr. Khan "dam" and Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh in Van Thanh hamlet, who collect 8-10 quintals of crabs daily. The crab collecting business alone provides employment for over 40 workers specializing in packing crabs, not to mention hundreds of crab catchers in the commune.

As dusk fell, we arrived at Mr. Nguyen Tuan's crab purchasing point at the intersection in Dien Thai commune (Dien Chau district). Mr. Tuan, busy packing crabs into styrofoam boxes, explained: "Initially, I bought small quantities of crabs to sell to traders in Yen Thanh, but many people from Dien Thai, Dien Dong, and Dien Xuan communes (Dien Chau district) brought crabs down here. So, for the past three years, I've opened a large collection point to transport crabs to Hanoi. Currently, I have over 30 'crab drivers' who specialize in scouring villages and hamlets to buy crabs. From buying a few hundred kilograms a day, I now buy 10-12 hundred kilograms, creating jobs for three local workers with a salary of 4 million VND per month." Mr. Tuan also boldly invested in a truck to transport crabs to Hanoi for large distributors. However, the crab business only thrives during the hot season.

Text and photos:Van Truong