In Thai Thuy and Dong Thuy Anh communes (Hung Yen province), people here have been attached to the profession of catching hand nail snails for many years.
From dawn, people were present in the coastal area to start work. The most favorable time for people to catch nail snails is when the tide comes down, so people in this profession have to wake up early, from 3am or 4am.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai (in Dong Thuy Anh commune, Hung Yen province) said: "This job is quite difficult because I have to wake up early, my feet are soaked in water for many hours and are easily eaten by water. There are days when we have to travel many kilometers to get to the area with snails. To get a good income, we have to be quick and get used to the job before catching many snails".
The fishermen's hand nail catching technique here does not use lime or iodized salt but only relies on observation and experience. The tools used to catch snails are an iron stick about 35 - 40cm long and a flashlight, a basket.
nail polish is one of the available seafood that is "rich" for the people here without having to raise them. The snail fishing profession can bring stable income to people. However, the amount harvested each day depends on weather conditions.
According to people who have been in this profession for many years, just by observing the weather and sea levels, they can predict areas with many snails. On average, for a trip to catch snails, people earn about 3kg/trip. The price of nail snails is only about 50,000 - 80,000 VND/kg (depending on the amount of snails per day).
Today, the area where fishermen catch snails is still famous for its endless sea, attracting many tourists to take photos and experience.
