Clam farming in the coastal alluvial area of Ha Tien

Clam farming on the coastal alluvial plains of Ha Tien.

Mr. Ong Vinh Kim, residing in Hoa Phau Hamlet, Thuan Yen Commune, Ha Tien City, said that as a local, he saw the potential for raising bivalve mollusks from coastal alluvial grounds. He decided to raise many varieties such as blood cockles, razor clams... but they did not adapt to the environment. After that, he switched to experimenting with raising clams and achieved quite high efficiency, so he has maintained it for more than 10 years.

“For every ^1m2, I release 80 clam seeds. Based on the water surface area I have, I can calculate the appropriate number of seeds. The clams are released for 8 to 10 months before being harvested... I divide the farming process into many areas so that I always have commercial clams to sell,” said Mr. Kim.

Many households in Thuan Yen commune, Ha Tien city have developed clam farming models to escape poverty and stabilize their lives.

Currently, Mr. Kim and some households have joined together to raise 32 hectares of clams. The price of commercial clams ranges from 15,000 to 30,000 VND depending on the size. The clams are sold to markets in An Giang, Dong Thap, Ho Chi Minh City and within the province. After deducting expenses, each household earns hundreds of millions of VND in profit per year.

Clam farming not only helps farmers earn a good income but also creates jobs for local people.

Clams live in coastal alluvial flats with lots of sand and gravel and high salinity. Clams feed on organic debris, plankton and algae from the sea.

Clams are easy to raise, require little care and bring high economic value.

During the clam farming process, people in Ha Tien city also "created" a clam harvesting machine to replace manual harvesting, helping people to be less tired and save costs.

Previously, when talking about clam farming, the people of Kien Giang coastal area compared it to "throwing money into the sea". But now clam farming is one of the models that brings quite economic efficiency to local people.

In the middle of a vast ocean, the image of people harvesting clams reflects in the water; in the distance are clam watchtowers floating on the sea, all blending into a vivid but equally poetic and charming picture.