'Sea luck' washes up on the beach, fishermen rake snails to earn millions a day

TPO - Early in the morning, along the coast of Ha Tinh, hundreds of people immerse themselves in the water to rake for snails. Every day, thanks to raking for “sea blessings”, people earn millions of dong.

03/27/2025 | 06:11

TPO - Early in the morning, along the coast of Ha Tinh, hundreds of people immerse themselves in the water to rake for snails. Every day, thanks to raking for “sea blessings”, people earn millions of dong.

"Sea luck" washes up on the beach, fishermen rake snails to earn millions a day (Clip: Hoai Nam)

For about a week now, along the coast of the communes of Thach Hai, Thach Lac, Thach Tri, Thach Van (Ha Tinh city), many people have brought rakes to the sea to catch shrimp snails (also known as sandal snails). According to the fishermen, tons of sandal snails have washed ashore these days, so they are taking advantage of the opportunity to bring out their tools to rake.

Along the 10km long coastline, many people wade in water for hours to dig for snails.

To catch this type of seafood, people bring homemade rakes, about 1.2m to more than 2m high, with a mesh bag attached at the bottom about 5m long to hold the snails.

"We have to go backwards, constantly pushing the rake to get the sand and snails on the beach. After a few times of cleaning, the snails are pushed into the mesh bag behind, while the sand falls out. Every 30 minutes or so, we get a few nests of snails. The snails are white on the shore, and we only need to work from 7am to 2pm to collect 500-600 kg. Because there is a lot of "sea luck", we work through lunch," said Mr. Bui Vinh Huu (56 years old, Cam Duong commune, Cam Xuyen district).

Although the weather was quite sunny, the waves were big and the wind was strong, people still diligently went back and forth to rake snails.

Flat snails are currently sold for 300,000 VND/100 kg. Snails are purchased by traders right on the beach to feed lobsters. On this occasion, people soak in the water for 6-8 hours every day and collect 300-600 kg of snails.

"It doesn't cost anything, it's just a bit tiring because I have to soak in the water for many hours, but in return I earn 1-4 million VND/day so people are very excited. During this time, many snails are washed up by the river, people take advantage of their free time to go raking," said Ms. Le Thi Bien (60 years old, resident of Cam Duong commune).

Although snail raking brings a stable income, people have to face the cold sea water and the constant danger of fierce waves crashing on the shore.

The working atmosphere on the beach was extremely bustling. Each person designed their own rake to catch snails.

After being raked, the snails are classified and sold to traders right on the beach.

Large sacks were quickly filled with snails, tied tightly and gathered right on the shore for traders to come and buy.

Hoai Nam

Source: https://tienphong.vn/loc-bien-dat-trang-bo-bien-ngu-dan-cao-oc-ngay-kiem-tien-trieu-post1728319.tpo