As the river water rises, people rush to catch earthworms.

(Baonghean.vn) - Heavy rains, coupled with the release of water from hydroelectric power plants in the highlands, have caused earthworms to crawl ashore in large numbers, prompting people to rush to the riverbanks to catch them to feed their poultry.

Heavy rains in the mountainous areas of Nghe An province, coupled with the release of water from hydroelectric power plants, caused the water level of the Lam River in the section flowing through Hoa Binh town (Tuong Duong district) to rise. Thousands of earthworms, lacking oxygen, were forced to crawl ashore, clinging densely to the riverbank. Taking advantage of this, many locals rushed to catch the worms to feed their chickens and ducks.

Along the embankment near Hoa Binh town, many locals flock to catch earthworms during the flood season. Photo: Dao Tho

At the Hoa Tay section of the river, a group of people walked along the embankment, collecting earthworms and putting them into small water bottles. In just a short time, each person had filled a bottle.

Worms crawled ashore in droves. Photo: Dao Tho

While picking up worms, Mr. Nguyen Huu Anh smiled and said, "Every time the river water rises, we come to this embankment to collect worms to feed our chickens and ducks. Just a few dozen minutes is enough to provide food for the chickens and ducks for several days."

Some children also followed the adults along the embankment to catch worms. Photo: Dao Tho

Struggling to carry a sack full of earthworms home, Mrs. Vi Thi Loan happily exclaimed, "If we regularly feed these earthworms to our chickens, they'll grow up so fast. My family has dozens of chickens, and feeding them rice every day is very expensive. Having earthworms makes things so much easier."

In no time at all, the plastic bottles were filled with worms. Photo: Dao Tho

According to many residents living along the Lam River, earthworms only emerge in large numbers during the flood season, especially on the first day of the flood. After that, the number of earthworms gradually decreases. Therefore, they have to make the most of their time to mobilize all family members to catch them.

Dao Tho