Wading through the fields all night with the people of Hung Nhan to hunt for earthworms

Lam Tung - Quang An• November 10, 2018 15:45

(Baonghean.vn) - Despite the cold and rainy weather, people in Hung Nhan and Hung Loi communes, Hung Nguyen district (Nghe An) still spend all night hunting for earthworms. This "heavenly gift" brings millions of dong in income to people in this flooded area every night.

Stepping into the capital of rươi Hưng Nhân, the most recognizable image is the long, straight nets spread across the fields. In the past, the whole village went to collect rươi, but since this specialty has brought higher economic value day by day, households have spread nets to both mark the rươi area of each household and to serve as a tool for the rươi to cling to when the water recedes. Photo: Lâm Tùng

In contrast to the silence when everyone falls asleep, from 2am to 5am, Hung Nhan's field of rươi is bustling and unusually bustling. The laughter echoing in the night, combined with the flickering lights, creates a sparkling scene on the rươi field that everyone wants to experience. Photo: Quang An

According to Mr. Hung, a local with over 10 years of experience in hunting for earthworms in Hung Nhan commune, to collect earthworms, you have to prepare the tools carefully and stay up "all night". Sometimes the earthworms appear at 2am, or even 5am, and after collecting them, you go to the market right away. Whenever you look up at the sky, wherever there are clouds gathering, the sky there is naturally cool, that means there are a lot of earthworms that day. Photo: Quang An

However, there are nights when, depending on the water level, the worms do not come up, so people have to sit and wait in the cold rain or go down to the fields to "pick up the worms" in the hope of earning a few ounces to avoid the hassle of waiting. Photo: Quang An

Despite the heavy rain, people still persist in collecting the worms. In the fields of Hung Loi and Hung Nhan communes, in addition to rice cultivation, the catching of worms, although only taking place for about a month, "eats all year round" because of the huge income that the worms bring. That is also the reason why the quality of rice here is always guaranteed to be clean, because if pesticides are used, the worms will gradually become extinct. Photo: Lam Tung

On average, each household catches 1-3 kg of worms each night, and at peak times, some people catch a whole nest of worms. They can sell them in the field for 4-5 million VND. Local people said that one year a household in the area caught a ton of worms in one night, earning over 40 million VND, but this year no one has been as lucky. Photo: Lam Tung

After being scooped up, the worms will be brought ashore to be sorted and put into styrofoam boxes for import to restaurants. Dead or poor quality worms will be discarded. Currently, the price of early-season worms ranges from 500,000 - 550,000 VND/kg. About 100,000 VND/kg higher than the main season. Photo: Quang An

According to Mr. Ngo Van Thang - a buyer of rươi in Hung Loi commune, this year's rươi yield is not high, however, the quality has increased, many rươi are large and plump. On average, I import about 100 kg of rươi each night, then distribute it to restaurants and hotels in Vinh City. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Phan Dinh Hoan - Chairman of Hung Nhan Commune People's Committee shared: In the commune, there are currently about 50 hectares of rice fields with annual rươi, concentrated in hamlets 1, 2, 6, 7, 8. At the beginning of this year's crop, the output of rươi caught was not high, but in return, the rươi price was high. Around the full moon of October, this will be the peak of rươi, currently many people are refurbishing and improving tools to catch rươi during the main season. Photo: Quang An

Rươi is a protein-rich food that can be used to make many delicious dishes such as: boiled, braised, stir-fried, rolled in betel leaves, cooked with bamboo shoots... And the most famous are still rươi rolls and rươi sauce.