Wading through mud to "hunt" for freshwater crabs at night.
(Baohatinh.vn) - At this time, freshwater crabs are quite expensive, fetching 100,000 VND/kg. People in Ha Tinh province are taking advantage of the opportunity to "hunt" for freshwater crabs at night, helping to make ends meet.
Báo Hà Tĩnh•23/05/2026
These days, in the fields of Cam Binh commune, Cam Xuyen district, and Ha Huy Tap ward ( Ha Tinh province ), as darkness falls, many people go out to the fields to catch crabs after the harvest season.
Around 7:30 PM, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet from Hung My village, Cam Binh commune, begins her journey to earn a living on the recently harvested rice fields. A flashlight, a pair of boots, and a plastic bucket are her familiar tools of the trade.
"During the day I work as a construction laborer, and at night I go to the fields to catch freshwater crabs. Although I have to wade through mud until late at night, on lucky days I can earn a few hundred thousand dong to support my life and have extra money for my family," Ms. Tuyet said excitedly. The mother and daughter beamed with smiles after more than two hours of work. According to locals, rice paddies that have just been harvested are where the most freshwater crabs appear. To "hunt" for freshwater crabs, all you need is a few simple items such as a flashlight, boots, a knife, and a plastic bucket. After the harvest season is also the time when crabs are fat, firm, and fetch a good price. Crabs forage for food at night, making crab hunting easier.
Ms. Hoang Thi Mai (village 13, Cam Xuyen commune) wades along the rice paddy banks to catch freshwater crabs. When she spots a crab, she quickly catches it and puts it into a bucket. "Catching crabs requires light steps and just enough light because crabs are quite fast; they'll immediately burrow into the mud at the slightest disturbance," Ms. Mai shared. In just about 30 minutes, Mrs. Mai caught about 2kg of freshwater crabs. In the fields at night, the flickering, moving lights have become a familiar rhythm of life for the local people. People search for freshwater crabs along the edges of the rice fields. For many locals, catching freshwater crabs provides a significant source of income. “These days, around 7 PM, I go out to the fields to catch crabs. This job only requires hard work to earn extra income. On lucky days, I catch about 6-8 kg of crabs, then take them to purchasing centers to sell,” shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Binh Tien residential area, Ha Huy Tap ward).
In previous years, crabs were abundant but the price fluctuated between 60,000 and 70,000 VND/kg. Recently, freshwater crabs have fetched a good price, around 100,000 VND/kg, so many people consider this their main source of income at this time of year.
From around 9 PM, the freshwater crab purchasing points in Ha Huy Tap ward become bustling. People bring the crabs they've just caught to sell right away that night. The crabs are sorted before being weighed. “These days, every evening many people bring freshwater crabs to our facility to sell. On average, we buy about 100-300kg of crabs daily from people in various localities, with each kilogram of freshwater crabs priced at 100,000 VND. Then, we supply them to restaurants in the province and some northern provinces,” said Ms. Le Thi Thuong, owner of a freshwater crab purchasing facility in Ha Huy Tap ward. Plump, firm freshwater crabs are the main ingredient in many rustic dishes that evoke the flavors of the countryside, such as crab soup and crab stew. Although it's only a seasonal and rather arduous job, requiring wading through mud in the middle of the night, for many locals, catching freshwater crabs has helped them earn extra income to support their lives.
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