Hard work…finding ginseng

(Baonghean) - Ground ginseng is the name that coastal people in Quynh Luu often use to refer to sea cucumbers that live under the muddy sand layers at river mouths, where fresh and salt water intersect. This is a natural food source, rich in nutrients, with high economic value. However, to make a living from digging for ground ginseng, they must be skilled "workers"...

I happened to meet a group of women selling ginseng at a market in Tan Thang village (An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu district) on an afternoon in late March. All the women were soaked, their hands covered in mud. Looking at them, I could tell that the ginseng had just been caught from the beach. The reddish-brown, silvery ginsengs wriggled in the bucket, attracting me...

Women in Tan Thang (An Hoa - Quynh Luu) diligently hunt for ginseng.

Ms. Mai Thi Xuan, 31 years old (living in Tan Thang village - An Hoa) confided: "I rarely have to bring ginseng to the market to sell because this type of ginseng is rare, few people go digging. Usually, however much is dug, that much is bought. And whoever wants to buy it, has to come to the house to order in advance to have a chance to get it." As soon as Ms. Xuan finished speaking, a woman stopped her car on the side of the road and bought all of her goods. For more than 1kg of sea cucumber, this woman took out her wallet and paid her 200,000 VND. The sale took place quickly, the customer did not say a word of complaint, nor did he bargain for a discount.

After some begging, the sisters agreed to let me go with them to catch the ground ginseng the next day. We set off at 12 o'clock. The only tools each person brought were a short-handled hoe about 50cm long, and a 4kg paint bucket to hold it. After cycling for about 40 minutes, we arrived at the foot of Truong Tho bridge (connecting Tho Tien and Tho Nhan villages, Quynh Tho commune). At this time, the tide was low, and each mound of earth was exposed. Putting the bucket down, observing, and choosing a location, everyone started digging right away. After about 5 strokes, Ms. Xuan pulled up a long, cylindrical ground ginseng. After putting it in the bucket for a while, it shrank to half its size, almost as big as a thumb, and its color was a sparkling reddish brown. With more than 15 years of experience digging for ground ginseng, it was not difficult for Ms. Xuan to recognize the signs of the ginseng caves. Those were small holes, with mounds of mud and sand pushed up around them, which she called "ma". “Where there are many holes, the ground is dense with small ginsengs. If you want to catch big ones, you have to choose a place with few holes to dig!”

On this side, Ms. Ho Thi Lai (born in 1981) is also gaining momentum, her back bent, and digging rapidly with her hoe. According to her, once the first hoe stroke has been made, the following strokes must be dug very quickly, because if one hears even the slightest noise, this animal will burrow deep down. The experience of predicting the path of the ginseng depends on each person, but the most taboo is to hoe directly into the ginseng's cave because the digging blade will cut off its body. And to catch a ginseng, one must be very skillful, once the ginseng's tail has been grasped, one must use the tips of the thumb and index finger to press firmly, then slowly pull it out.

Each hoe stroke into the ground takes a lot of effort from the digger. But their success rate is only 1/20, meaning they have to hoe 20 times to be lucky enough to put 1 ginseng in the bucket. Ms. Ho Thi Hoa (born in 1984) stopped hoeing, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and said: "Old ginseng is rare!"

On the alluvial ground by the Quynh Tho River that afternoon, besides me and the ladies from Tan Thang (An Hoa), there were many other people carrying hoes to dig for ginseng. Some people struggled for a long time to choose a place and tried their best to dig. But when digging down, they encountered a flooded cave. Some people saw the ginseng tail and before they could take a picture, it ran away. Some people took a picture and thought they were sure, but unexpectedly they encountered a "stubborn general", so they had to struggle with it, and in the end had to let it go because the animal would definitely be broken. It turns out that this job requires strength, perseverance, and especially experience!

Currently, in Quynh Luu, newly dug sea cucumbers are sold for 150,000 VND/kg. Because this specialty is rare, many people buy it to enjoy and give as gifts. Ms. Ho Thi Hoa said that if she is willing to go to Dien Chau, she can earn 500,000 VND per day from digging sea cucumbers. This is a large amount of money for salt farmers who work hard from dawn to dusk.

However, it is not difficult to realize that the natural sea cucumber source here is running out. Ms. Ho Thi Quang - a member of the group recalls that about 5-7 years ago, people who dug for sea cucumber like her could earn from 3 to 5 kg each time the tide was low. At that time, the price of sea cucumber was still cheap, few people knew about it, and the sea cucumber was dug up to cook and eat gradually. Now, "hardship, smart people", the whole An Hoa commune makes a living from this profession with only about 10 people left...

Nguyen Thi Hoe