Chinese 'aristocratic' crabs become common goods in Vietnamese markets, as easy to buy as vegetables

Last weekend, on the occasion of a family reunion, Ms. Vu Kim Tien in Ho Tung Mau (Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi ) bought 3kg of Shanghai hairy crab for only 410,000 VND/kg for everyone to enjoy this dish, which is traditionally reserved for the Chinese upper class.

This is something she never thought of a few years ago, because this "noble" Chinese crab is too expensive.

Ms. Tien knows that Chinese hairy crabs are famous for their nutritious roe, which tastes like duck egg yolk mixed with fatty goose liver. However, about 7-8 years ago, a 100 gram hairy crab cost up to 350,000 VND, and a 250 gram crab cost 900,000 VND/crab. The price is extremely expensive compared to her family's "marketing budget".

Now, 1kg of female hairy crabs, size 5-6, costs only 410,000 VND, sold in all markets. This price is equal to domestic meat crabs or crabs with roe in our country. Therefore, during this year's hairy crab season, she has bought it several times.

Having sold hairy crabs for 8 years, Ms. Nguyen Dieu Anh admitted that when they first appeared on the Vietnamese market, the price of this item was not only expensive but also extremely rare. If you wanted to eat it, you had to “wait in line” because the crabs were not available. Crabs are sold by the crab, not by the weight.

If converted to weight, hairy crabs sold in the Vietnamese market 7 years ago cost up to nearly 4 million VND/kg - one of the most expensive crabs in the world . Ms. Dieu Anh said that hairy crabs are usually caught in the fall, from late September onwards, when crab eggs are most abundant. The best type must be taken from Yangcheng Lake, northeast of Suzhou, not far from Shanghai.

The hairy crab is small in size but of excellent quality. The meat is sweet and not fishy, the claws are soft and creamy like butter. But the most special part is the roe, when eaten, it is fatty and tastes like duck egg yolk mixed with fatty goose liver.

In China, hairy crabs are considered a delicacy for the upper class. There is even an art of eating hairy crabs in China. People believe that those who can neatly arrange the crab parts back to their original shape after eating, taking only the meat inside while the shell remains intact, will have good luck.

However, in recent years, hairy crabs have flooded into Vietnamese markets and prices have become increasingly cheaper, she said.

Last year, during the hairy crab season, Ms. Anh imported and sold them for 650,000-950,000 VND/kg depending on size. This year, the same type of 5-6 crabs/kg costs 400,000-550,000 VND/kg, with suffocated hairy crabs costing only 250,000 VND/kg.

That is, the price of “noble” hairy crab is now equal to that of Ca Mau sea crab, or even cheaper. Therefore, customers buy more. She cited that in the past, when the price was expensive, people often bought in pairs, and at most, only a few pairs. Now, people buy by weight, with some customers buying 2-3kg at a time.

Accordingly, Ms. Anh usually collects orders within 2 days and then imports goods to deliver to customers. The quantity of each trip ranges from 40-50kg.

On the online seafood market with hundreds of thousands of members participating in buying and selling, Ms. Dang Thi Nhung continuously advertises Shanghai hairy crabs (China) with the advertisement: "In the season of the best hairy crabs, the fat and golden roe is rich". Accordingly, she sells female hairy crabs for 570,000 VND/kg, and male crabs for just over 400,000 VND/kg.

Ms. Nhung imports nearly 100 kilograms of hairy crabs every day to pay for wholesale customers such as restaurants and hotels, and also to sell to retail customers. She sells out as soon as the goods arrive, leaving very few days left until the next day.

“A lot of people buy crab to steam, but some also buy it to make hot pot because Hanoi's autumn weather is suitable for eating hot dishes,” she shared.

In stores and online markets, “noble” crabs are being sold everywhere. Accordingly, the price of male crabs ranges from 350,000-410,000 VND/kg, while female crabs are commonly priced at 450,000-590,000 VND/kg.