(Baonghean.vn) - These days, farmers in Hung Nhan, Hung Chau, Hung Loi communes... in Hung Nguyen district are in the season of catching earthworms. At night, the fields along the Lam River are sparkling with lights, making it unusually cheerful and bustling.
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| From September to November of the lunar calendar is the season of rươi for the people of Hung Nguyen. Every month, there are 2 rươi catching periods, each period lasts about 3 - 4 days. At night, it is more fun in the fields than at home. Everywhere, flashlights sparkle like stars. Hung Nhan is one of the communes with the most rươi in Hung Nguyen. |
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| When the tide has reached its peak in the fields of rươi, people bring nets, buckets, basins, and nets to the fields to catch rươi. In the photo, people in Hamlet 1, Hung Nhan Commune, go to the fields to catch rươi at 1 a.m. |
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| In the past, when the “rươi” was not “valuable”, people went to catch it freely, but now each family’s field is caught by its own family. The net can be set up in advance, and when the river water rises into the field, all you have to do is cover the net to keep the rươi from escaping. |
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| If the field has a low corner for drainage, you can use a net to catch the worms. The method of catching worms with a net was invented about ten years ago and is the method of catching worms that requires the least effort. |
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| After spreading the net, the owner just needs to sit on the shore and wait for the water to come out, the worms will follow the water and get into the net. |
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| During the season of abundant roe, after only 10-15 minutes people open the trap to dump the roe, each time usually getting 1-2 kg. |
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| If a family's field does not have a dike, they must wear a flashlight and hold a net to collect the worms in the field. This is the most laborious way. Not only does catching worms require staying up all night, but most of the work must be done on rainy, cold, windy days. |
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| The whole family watches the tide rise and fall to catch earthworms. |
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| Many children also stay up all night to catch worms with their families. Their main tasks are to guard the worms, collect them, and prevent theft. |
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| After dumping the worms, people often immediately remove fish, crabs, and trash under flashlights. |
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| Then, the worms are poured into a plastic basket with thin mesh, so that the worms can crawl into the bucket by themselves, removing the dirt. |
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| Before dawn, everyone rolled up their nets and went home, excited about the amount of worms they had just caught. Depending on the type of field, the water level, luck, etc., the “heavenly blessing” they got was more or less. If the harvest was good, they could catch about 20 kg of worms per sao. Any household that had a good harvest could earn several hundred kilograms of worms each year. |
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| During the season of rươi, traders often appear right in the fields to buy rươi for farmers. In recent years, rươi has been a hot commodity, supply cannot meet demand, prices fluctuate from 450,000 - 500,000 VND/kg. Rươi is bringing joy to farmers in many riverside communes in Hung Nguyen. |
Huy Thu
