"Sweet fruits" from the mangrove forest

This season, around 4:30 a.m., Ms. Hoang Thi Tien rides her motorbike along the breakwater from her home in Thanh Binh residential area to the mangrove forest in Bac Chau residential area (both in Ngoc Son ward, Thanh Hoa province).

After parking her car on the embankment, she waded into the mud and went straight into the mangrove forest. From there, she stayed in the forest until noon, before the tide came in.

Tien's job is to "hunt" for the "bom bop" clam – as the locals call it. This is a species of clam. When the tide recedes, the bom bop hides under the mud. But through the "breathing holes" of the bom bop on the mud surface, the "hunters" can spot them and simply dig through the mud with their hands to catch them.

Mangrove forests – the "green dike" protecting villages.

Around 11 a.m., Ms. Tien emerged from the forest, carrying her belongings. Her clothes were covered in mud and she was drenched in sweat.

Despite being exhausted, she was visibly happy because she had caught a lot of crabs. With a selling price of 15,000 VND/kg right at the edge of the forest, Ms. Tien earned approximately over 300,000 VND.

An in-depth conversation about mangrove forests.

In a nearby forest, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Truyen (73 years old, Lien Thanh residential area, Ngoc Son ward) was also diligently hunting for oysters on the mudflats. These are a type of oyster that lives in the mud under mangrove forests, unlike milk oysters which cling to rocks and hard surfaces.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truyen hunts for oysters in the mangrove forest.

Ms. Truyen said that besides oysters, there are many other species in and around this mangrove forest such as crabs, eels (a species belonging to the loach family), grouper, snapper, and barramundi…

Every day, Mrs. Truyen earns enough money by scavenging in this forest. Besides finding food for her family, on days when she has too much to eat, she sells the leftovers, earning at least 150,000 to 200,000 VND.

Mrs. Truyen happily said, "Thanks to the mangrove forest, even old people like me don't have to worry about starving. Only the lazy will starve! No fishing tools are needed, just a knife, and that's enough to eat."

According to Ms. Truyen, mangrove forests not only protect the villagers from the elements but also provide food, which is why our ancestors taught us that forests are as precious as the forest, and that's why we live off the forest.

Dr. Vu Van Luong, from the Institute of Agriculture - Resources and Environment, Vinh University, a specialist in mangrove forest research, stated: "It can be affirmed that mangrove forests have 'immeasurable' value, protecting the ecosystem of estuary and coastal areas, regulating temperature; limiting erosion and saltwater intrusion, protecting coastal resources from the destruction of waves, storms, rising sea levels, and tidal surges; and preventing desertification of agricultural land within mangrove forests."

Today, with climate change becoming increasingly complex, unpredictable, and difficult to control, the role of mangrove forests is becoming especially important.

According to Dr. Vu Van Luong, surveys show that mangrove forests are an area for developing aquaculture that yields high and sustainable economic efficiency, such as combined shrimp-crab farming, extensive whiteleg shrimp farming; clam farming, snail farming, grouper farming, etc.

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Mangrove forests also provide a breeding ground for many economically valuable aquatic species, and serve as a nursery for many species of waterfowl, migratory birds, and some animals such as monkeys, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and weasels.