Ben Tre farmers dig up clams for extra cash

In the last months of the year, early in the morning as tide ebbs, residents of Thoi Thuan Commune (Binh Dai District, the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre), go to the beach to dig clams.

"Clam fields here are managed by the cooperative, which will distribute leaflets to about 40 local residents a day, giving them permission to dig clams," said Ngo Thanh Phong, a security guard.

"Clams at the beach, which only grow naturally, are very difficult to raise commercially. This type of clam is large and has a purplish shell. The market price is about VND140,000 ($5.99) per kilogram, higher than that of the commonly seen white clam," said Phong.

"Around mid-year until the Tet Lunar New Year holiday, people in the village start to dig these clams as they are growing in profusion. Every month, we only dig when the waters recede the deepest," said Can, who has nearly 10-year experience of clam digging.

"I use a homemade rake and putting the clams into the net with a tong," said 30-year-old Kim Anh.

Experienced residents say people should ideally work in pairs from both sides so that they can catch larger number of clams. 

"This species is not as concentrated as farm-raised clams, so it is possible to go a few rounds of digging without hitting a single one. Sometimes, we dug from early morning to noon but only got a few kilograms," said Trinh Van Tien, 30.

Around 10 a.m, when the waters begin to rise the clam diggers leave the beach. The cooperative allows each person to dig a maximum of 30 kg a day to ensure that everyone gets a fair share and that the clam is not overexploited to extinction.

Clam diggers in Thoi Thuan Commune usually work in a group. Pointing to her clam basket, a woman named Thoa said: "My three-member family is one group. This is what we got after raking from early in the morning."

Many people like Trinh Thi Anh Tuyet, 28, cover their face, arms and legs to protect themselves from the sunlight.

Around 11am, the clam diggers gather in a dry area where their employers collect the clams and pay their wages.

"The cooperative pays VND25,000 ($1.07) for one kilo. Everyone digs up to 30 kilograms so we earn nearly a million dong ($42.77) a day. But this is just our side job. Our main job is growing watermelons," Tuyet said

The clams are washed, sorted and transported to markets in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi as well as HCMC's neighboring provinces like Long An and Dong Nai.