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Every year, around this time, fishermen in coastal areas of Thanh Hoa province, such as Sam Son city and the districts of Hoang Hoa, Quang Xuong, and Hau Loc, begin their herring fishing season.

Small rafts and boats usually set sail at midnight. As soon as dawn breaks, the boats and rafts line up to return to shore to unload their catch, ready to sell to traders.

Tran Van Tat, a fisherman residing in Trung Son ward, Sam Son city, who works in raft fishing, says that every year, during herring season, he and his wife eagerly head out to sea. Each trip brings them tens of millions of dong in income.

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The freshly caught fish have been neatly placed into baskets. Photo: Le Duong

According to Mr. Tat, fishermen in Sam Son mainly use rafts or small boats to fish near the shore, about 3-5 nautical miles. They go out to sea from 2-3 am, with two people per boat, and fish until 8-9 am the same day before returning to shore.

“During the herring fishing season, each boat can catch at least 100-200 kg on a slow day, and up to 400-500 kg on a good day. With the current selling price of 25,000 VND/kg, each boat can earn from a few million to tens of millions of VND after each trip,” Mr. Tat shared.

According to local fishermen, the herring season is the most enjoyable time of the year. This is because herring always travel in schools, and a boatload can be filled in just a few hours at sea.

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Traders come to collect the fish right on the beach. Photo: Le Duong
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The fishermen are busy removing fish from their nets and arranging them in preparation for their next fishing trip. Photo: Le Duong

“On normal days, we fish all night and only catch a few tens of kilograms of fish, crabs, and shrimp (miscellaneous), which we sort and sell, earning between 1 and 1.5 million VND per day; after deducting fuel costs, we have about 1 million VND left. During herring season, the fishing time is shorter, but the income is higher,” fisherman Le Van Hung recounted.

According to fishermen, herring is very fatty and delicious during the season. It can be prepared in many ways, such as grilled in rice paper rolls, sour soup, or braised. In addition, herring is collected by traders and supplied to freezing facilities for making fish sauce, so the fish sells out as soon as the boats come ashore.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a trader, said that she has been collecting seafood for many years in the Sam Son beach area. After buying fish from fishermen, she sorts them and sells the best quality fish to other small traders who take them to the market, while the rest she sells to fish sauce producers.