Dien Chau people drill wells to get underground salt water to raise shrimp.

Mr. Tran Van An in Xuan Bac hamlet, Dien Van commune takes care of shrimp crop 2. Photo: Mai Giang

Dien Van has been implementing the conversion of salt production areas to aquaculture for decades but has not been successful due to polluted river water, causing mass fish and shrimp deaths. Determined to turn difficulties into advantages, in 2016, some households had the initiative to drill wells to get underground saltwater mixed with fresh water to raise shrimp. Thanks to the initiative of having a cleaner water source, shrimps have grown quickly, limiting diseases, achieving high productivity, averaging 7 tons/ha.

As the first person to apply the initiative of raising shrimp using underground saltwater, Mr. Tran Van An in Xuan Bac hamlet, Dien Van commune has solved the problem of losses on his family's 4,000m pond area after many years of aquaculture.

He drilled 5 wells 10m deep to get salt water. The well water was pumped into a settling pond and carefully treated for alkalinity and heavy metals before being pumped into the aquaculture pond.This method has brought success to the first 3 shrimp crops, his family earned billions of dong.

Mr. An said: "Underground water has a very high alkalinity and contains a lot of heavy metals, so the treatment cost is also high. Low salinity causes the breed to be lost. If you release 10 fish, 5-6 will be lost; but using underground saltwater ensures the breed. I did it at first, now everyone is learning how to do it."

Mr. Hoang Van Huong's family harvests shrimp raised in underground saltwater. Photo:Mai Giang

Like Mr. An, Mr. Hoang Van Huong's family decided in early 2018 to invest hundreds of millions of dong in drilling wells to convert 0.5 hectares from fish and crab farming to shrimp farming using underground saltwater. In the first crop, as an experiment, he released only 200,000 shrimp. After nearly 4 months of farming, he harvested more than 2.5 tons of shrimp, earning nearly 300 million dong.

Mr. Huong shared: The entire salt-making area has been converted to aquaculture, which is more profitable. The family has drilled 6 pumps to pump water into the pond to increase salinity. After this season, I will renovate it to raise more densely.

As for Mr. Mai Quang Hung, although living in Vinh city, when he saw the abandoned salt fields of his hometown, he returned to his hometown to invest in shrimp farming. He also drilled 5 wells 10m deep to get underground salt water. Thanks to that, shrimp farming in the salt fields has been successful. With only 0.5 ha, each crop he harvests more than 6 tons of shrimp, worth nearly 700 million VND, not inferior to farming with seawater.

With this success, Mr. Hung is renting another 1.5 hectares to raise shrimp using underground salt water. He said,Using underground water requires a lot of processing but is very good and safe for shrimp; currently, shrimp farming families do not use chemicals at all, ensuring clean shrimp.

Many people come to learn how to raise shrimp using underground saltwater from Mr. Mai Quang Hung. Photo: Mai Giang

High income from shrimp farming on abandoned salty and sour land is considered a miracle for the people here. From only 4 hectares of white-leg shrimp farming, Dien Van now has 32 hectares with 60 farming households.

Mr. Hoang Thien Long - Vice Chairman of Dien Van Commune People's Committee said: In recent years, households raising white-leg shrimp have been quite effective with an income of 500 - 600 million VND/ha. The commune has also taken measures to support people, with a policy of converting from low-yield salt fields to aquaculture.

The barren lands have become vast shrimp ponds, demonstrating the correct approach and creativity of the government and people of Dien Van. While the coastal communes have almost run out of land for shrimp farming, here hundreds of hectares of abandoned salt fields have awakened their potential by raising underground brackish shrimp.