Diving in the river, soaking in clams in the 'fire pan of Indochina'
(Baonghean.vn) - These days, the temperature in the mountainous districts of Nghe An such as Con Cuong and Tuong Duong is always above 40 degrees Celsius. Under the scorching heat of the "fire pan" region, many people still wade in streams and creeks to rake mussels for a living.
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| As the hot days reach their peak, many rivers and streams in the highlands of Nghe An enter the dry season. On this occasion, many people in Anh Son, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong districts have not hesitated to go to the rivers and streams to dig for mussels to make a living. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| In Can village (Tam Thai commune, Tuong Duong district), the temperature reached 37 degrees Celsius early in the morning. However, groups of 2-3 women still went to the stream near their house to collect mussels to sell. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| The tools they brought were simply a small rake and a basket to hold the mussels. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| “In the past, people used to go raking mussels a lot at this time, but now that the Covid-19 pandemic is complicated, we only go with about 2-3 people. Although the hot weather is hard, the mussels are more abundant,” said Ms. Lo Thi Nam in Tho Son commune (Anh Son). Photo: Dao Tho |
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| For Ms. Luong Thi Van in Can village (Tam Thai commune, Tuong Duong), although she is nearly 60 years old, despite the hot weather, she still soaks herself in the water from morning to afternoon every day to rake mussels to sell to traders in the commune. "Each kilo of mussels is only sold for 7 thousand VND but it is enough to cover the family's living expenses. – Ms. Van shared. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| When raked up, the mussels were mixed with gravel and rocks, so people had to work very hard to sort them out. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| In deep water sections, many people have to swim and dive in the river like real "otters". Photo: Dao Tho |
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| Some families with better conditions buy rowing boats to go further to collect more mussels. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| Drops of sweat fall under the heat of the “fire pan of Indochina”. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| In a day of hard work, each person can rake 15 kg of mussels, earning more than 100,000 VND. This is a large amount of money for people to cover their family's living expenses. Photo: Dao Tho |
