Hunting on the Red River

Holding breath waiting for "heaven's blessing"

At 4 a.m., when darkness still covered the Red River (the section flowing through Kim Lan communal house gate), Nguyen Thi Nga (44 years old, resident of Kim Lan commune, Gia Lam district, Hanoi ) and her husband, along with many local people, arrived. They brought rackets and nets, patiently waiting on the river for "heavenly blessings" to appear.

Dozens of boats spread nets on the Red River to wait for "heavenly gifts"

PHOTO: NGUYEN QUANG

In the middle of the quiet river, boats of all sizes were positioned ready. At the front of each boat, nets were spread in an arc, people used flashlights to shine down on the water with expectant eyes, anxious after many days of the animal not appearing.

Thirty minutes later, tens of thousands of creatures flew out of the water, rushing towards the light. The moment the swarm of insects appeared, the stillness of the river was broken.

Witnessing the scene of the boat flying around on the water, Nga and her husband could not hide their joy after many days of unsuccessfully hunting for "heavenly gifts". They urged each other to push the oars hard to make the boat glide quickly on the river.

Like Ms. Nga and her husband, dozens of other boats also started "hunting".

Mr. Bao Anh was happy to catch the biggest batch of sea cucumbers since the beginning of the season.

PHOTO: NGUYEN QUANG

Not only in the river, people on the banks of the Red River also started to "hunt for wild deer" when they discovered the sea urchins landing on their clothes and shedding their skin. They used flashlights and walked along the riverbank to search for and catch the sea urchins.

By 6am, the number of dead animals gradually thinned out and then disappeared. That was also the time when the boats simultaneously came ashore with dozens of kilograms of dead animals as their spoils. At this time, the family members were already waiting on the riverbank. They spread out tarps, used baskets and sieves to clean the dead animals, then poured them into styrofoam boxes and sold them to customers.

"Raking in the money" by hunting aimlessly

With nearly 20 years of experience hunting for ants, Ms. Nga said that this insect usually appears from February to April of the lunar calendar, but this year they came later and erratically, making it difficult for people to predict when they will appear.

Nga's family boat is full of animals.

PHOTO: NGUYEN QUANG

According to Ms. Nga, in previous years, if they smelled a strange fishy smell or the surface of the Red River was bubbling, the next day there would definitely be some octopus, but this year that signal is not accurate. Therefore, every day, she and her husband have to wake up early to watch, but many times when they return home, they only collect a few kilos of octopus.

The 44-year-old woman added that the scorpionfish is a type of insect with a very short lifespan. They live in the soil at the bottom of the Red River, go through two molts, lay eggs, and then live for 20 to 40 minutes before dying. The eggs hatch into larvae and the cycle repeats.

Previously, "vặt vong" was only considered a common dish with low economic value. In recent years, as market demand increased, it became a favorite dish in drinking parties in restaurants, and the price skyrocketed accordingly. 1 kg of "vặt vong" is sold for 250,000 - 400,000 VND.

People wash the dead animals on the Red River

PHOTO: NGUYEN QUANG

"About 3-5 years ago, there were days when we caught a ton of sea urchin, but at that time there were few buyers and the price was also cheap. Recently, many restaurants have ordered large quantities of sea urchins, but the number of fish caught has decreased. There was a time when the price of sea urchins reached 500,000 VND/kg, but we didn't have any to sell," said Ms. Nga.

Ms. Nga added that this year, due to a poor harvest, people have not been able to catch much since the beginning of the season. The day when they caught the most was April 12. After cleaning the shells, some people got about 20 kg, some people got about 40 kg.

Mr. Bao Anh (Ms. Nga's husband) said that in the past, people caught the sea urchins manually and rudimentarily using a net. In recent years, when the sea urchins became a high-priced delicacy, many people used motorized boats and equipped them with nets to catch the sea urchins. This method helps them harvest the sea urchins faster and in larger quantities, avoiding leaving them for too long and allowing the sea urchins to disappear.

Fried glutinous rice is a popular snack.

PHOTO: SAN SAN

The time it takes for the fish to appear is also very short, only about 10 - 15 minutes for the river surface to turn white. At that time, people have to sail very fast to harvest in time.

According to Mr. Bao Anh, the reason why many people hunt this animal is because it can be processed into many different dishes such as stir-fried with squash, fried crispy, stir-fried with garlic or combined with eggs, betel leaves..., especially stewed with catfish.

"We often receive large orders from restaurants and beer bars, but this year there have been very few," he said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/san-vat-vo-tren-song-hong-185250424210906341.htm