QUANG NAM – Hundreds of people immerse themselves in the water to catch snails along the coast of Nui Thanh district to sell, earning several hundred thousand dongs per day.
Early in the morning when the tide recedes on the beach of Tam Tien commune, Nui Thanh district, hundreds of people go to the sea to catch snails, also known as rice snails, snails. This is a flat sea, this season snails grow and develop near the shore a lot.
People usually go in groups of 5 to 20 people. “Snails are close to the shore, but there is a risk of encountering whirlpools that can be swept away. We go in groups to help each other in time,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Tam Tien commune.
The tool to catch snails is a homemade racket, with a handle about 2 m long, an iron rake blade, and a small net about 50 cm in diameter. People wade in knee-deep water, going backward to scratch snails.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Suong, 60 years old (left corner), in Tam Tien commune, said that this year snails washed ashore early, so people exploited them before the Lunar New Year. Snails appear a lot from the 12th lunar month to the next April.
Mr. Nguyen Van Luyen, Binh Nam commune, Thang Binh district, left his house more than 30 km to Tam Tien commune’s sea to scratch snails early in the morning. After 20 minutes of scratching, he caught 10 kg and brought it to the shore.
Snails are bought by traders waiting on the beach for 250,000 VND per box weighing 25 kg.
At high tide, big waves, Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Van Ba, Tam Tien commune, stopped working and put tools on their shoulders to go home. “This job is a bit extreme because you have to soak in water for hours, but it gives a better income than farming. Every day from 5 am to 8 am, it ends, earning from a few hundred thousand dongs to more than one million dongs,” said Mr. Ba. speak.
Snails are colorful, as big as a button.
The purchased snails are soaked in seawater for 4-6 hours by traders to clean and then sold.
Snails washed for hot chili, pepper, lemongrass, and cooked spices are popular dishes in Quang Nam.