In southern Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the flooding season has always been a much awaited event. Unlike in other areas where inundation causes great harm, the flooding season in the Mekong Delta does it great good.
Typically starting late July or early August and remaining until November or even later, the flooding blesses the region, the agriculture hub of Vietnam, with extraordinary fertility as silt is deposited from upstream areas. It also has the effect of flushing chemical residues left from previous crops.
Nguyen Thi Cua of An Phu District in An Giang Province smiles as she shows off some of her catch in one night.
So far in the flooding season, she and her husband have earned more than VND200,000 ($8) per day by catching and selling fish and snakes.
Nguyen Van Hoang catches snails in Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province.
"The snails are really fat this season," he says.
Two women in Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province sort siamese mud carp, a specialty of the flooding season, for selling at VND20,000 per kilo.
Dang Van Thang catches frogs by a flooded field.
He says that he can catch three-four kilos of frogs in around three to four hours. He sells them at VND50,000-80,000 per kilo depending on their size.
Fisherfolk gather at river intersections in An Phu District, An Giang Province, to sell what they have caught to traders.
Women sell freshwater fish at a wet market that opens every morning from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. in Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province.
A family in An Giang Province takes their children to school by boat, a normal occurrence during this season.
