Here, mussels are not only a specialty dish with a famous brand throughout the country, but thanks to that, people have a fairly stable income. Every day, thanks to mussels, a section of La River in Ben Hen village is as bustling as a miniature market. Present in Ben Hen village, witnessing the busy buying and selling scene, besides in the village, the stoves boiling mussels smoke and the aroma from boiled mussels spreads throughout the whole area. The smokey mussels boiling stoves in Ben Hen Boiling mussels in a hut, Nguyen Thi Hoa, from Ben Hen village, Truong Son commune, Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh), said: “I don’t know when this profession was formed, only know that generations People in Ben Hen village, when born and grow up, all follow each other in the profession of raking mussels and boiling mussels. All expenses in life, building houses, buying supplies, taking care of their children and grandchildren’s education, all depend on income from mussel farming. According to Ms. Hoa, in the past, mussel making was difficult, very hard, all day long, husband and wife, brothers and sisters were stuck in the river, just worried about making enough to eat, did not have enough money, because at that time the price of mussels was too cheap. About 10 years ago, when mussels became a clean food, a popular specialty, the price was high, so the mussel industry in Ben Hen is growing strongly and bringing a good source of income. determined for the people. Ben Hen is growing stronger and bringing a fairly stable source of income The reason is called the profession “going backward” because in the past, mussel making was not as modern as it is now, to catch mussels, people had to use a rake with a rectangular trough, 1-1.5m long handle to rake. The rake just went backwards and shook it to treat the mussels. Now, just sitting on a motorboat, plugging a rake into the sand and then running the engine along the river a few times, there are dozens of kilograms of mussels. Because the value of mussels is high and the mussels in Ben Hen have affirmed their brand, many traders have come to the place to buy in large quantities and then transport them everywhere for consumption. Thanks to that, mussel workers do not have to worry about output, raking as much as they can consume. The mussel fishing season lasts almost all year round, but the peak season and the most mussels are from January to June of the lunar calendar. Ben Hen village currently has 150 households living by raking mussels – a job “going backwards”. Ben Hen village currently has 150 households living by raking mussels – a job that “goes backward”, sunbathing with his back, his face in the water all day, and working hard at night picking and washing mussels. Although it is less difficult than before, the job of making mussels requires health, perseverance and hard work. After scraping, all mussels are used up, the shells are gathered and calcined into lime for construction, agricultural production or finely milled as food for chickens and ducks; mussel intestine used to process dishes; Mussels are used to make soup. Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan, a resident of Ben Hen told reporters about the process of making mussels. He said: “We men, who are healthy, go on a motorboat to rake mussels on the river, on average 2-3 people per boat. And women stay at home to soak mussels, boil mussels, treat mussels clean… Every day, work usually starts from 2-3 am until late afternoon”. Mussels enrich the whole village Sharing with reporters, Ms. Nguyen Thi Sen, who has been involved in this profession for a long time, said: “Mussels are “a blessing from heaven” given to these villagers, my whole family has been working as mussel rakes for 4 generations on the La River. I also ate mussels but grew up, so even though I worked hard, I still had to keep the traditional profession of the village, “said Ms. Sen. Currently, mussels here are considered a clean specialty Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a resident of Hen wharf confided: “In the past, every day my husband and I just needed to go along the La River to rake a few tons of mussels, but now the mussel production is increasingly depleted, so people have to overcome kilometers along the river Ngan Sau, Ngan Pho or upstream Ben Thuy bridge (Vinh City) to bring back mussels. According to Mr. Tuan, in the peak season, there are boats raking more than 1 ton of mussels/day, the remaining average is 300-600kg/boat. The average income from making mussels is about 500,000 – 1 million VND/house/day. Compared to other occupations, this is the profession that is bringing in the highest and most stable income, creating many jobs for people… Especially, mussels here are now considered a clean specialty with economic value. high so people are very secure to stick to the job.

Ben Hen village is located on the bank of La River, Truong Son commune has a history of more than 300 years. For many generations now, people have lived by raking clams, cooking mussels and selling them. In the village there are thousands of households, currently there are nearly 200 households sticking with the profession. The mussel job is maintained all year round, the main season is in March, April and the occasion of summer establishment. The villagers go to rake clams according to households, on average each household has about 5 people supporting each other. In the past, the clam rakes were made of bamboo rake, the length depends on the depth of the river, with the rake longer than 5 m. Nowadays, the economy is better off, many families have invested in motor boats with iron rackets and umbrella nets to rake mussels. On average, on a river trip, each boat picks up several hundred kilograms of mussels. Ben Hen village where there is a mussel village for over 300 years. For generations, people here have lived by raking clams, cooking mussels and selling them. In the village there are thousands of households, currently more than 70 households stick with the profession. The mussel-making job is maintained all year round, but the main season is from March to June. That means in the hot weather in January, the dishes made from mussels are more popular. A corner of the village makes mussels. This work is done by each household. Accordingly, families will cover the whole process of making mussels: from catching mussels on the La river bed, boiling and treating the intestines to sell. In the past, the mussel catcher used tools made of bamboo, weaved into buckets and then connected to a pole. Poles length or short depends on the shallow depth of the river bed but is usually 3-5 m long. Nowadays, the economy is better off, many families have invested in motorboats with iron buckets to rake mussels. The mussel has just been caught in the La River, then boiled so it is very fat and sweet. The clam raking is quite heavy so it is for men. Also cook mussels, treat mussels, bring to the market to sell to women. Clam will be washed after catching, then put in a large pan to boil. People boil 20-30 kg of mussels each time for 10-15 minutes. With 10 kg of boiled mussels, you will get 1kg of mussel gut. Clams are sold on the spot for 50-60 thousand VND / kg. The mussel is caught in the morning, in the afternoon, it is taken to cook. Every day a household here cooks 2-3 quintals of mussels. After being cleaned, the mussels are put in a large saucepan to boil. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (47 years old, Ben Hen village) has over 25 years doing this. “Boiling mussels must be big, but not too fast, not too long. For them to keep their taste and sweetness, then boil them for 10-15 minutes,” Ms. Thuy said. The batches of mussels that have just been boiled are smoky. According to Ms. Thuy, the profession dates back to the time of grandparents and parents. Until life, she continued to maintain. “Ben Hen village has become a famous place for this mussel cooking job. On average, my family cooks more than 2 quintals of mussels every day.” This work has helped us to have a stable income and escape poverty “, Ms. Thuy added. After boiling, mussels are brought to the treat to separate the intestines from the shell. This work requires vigorous stirring to be able to separate all of the mussel gut. According to the people working here, after deducting all expenses, a family can also earn 500 thousand VND to more than 1 million VND / day. The special thing is that the La River clam here is very sweet, has no mud smell, so it is favored by consumers. Hen here is taken to all markets in Ha Tinh province for consumption, even going to Nghe An province. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, Chairman of Truong Son Commune People’s Committee, said this trade village must have been more than 300 years ago. “At present, there are more than 70 households working as clams. If the crop is successful, many families will earn hundreds of millions VND. The mussel job is quite stable and really helps many families escape poverty,” said Chairman of the People’s Committee. Truong Son commune said. Clams can be processed into many delicious, cool and nutritious dishes such as: stir-fried with rice cakes … Clams can be processed into many delicious, cool and nutritious dishes such as: stir-fry with rice cakes, cook hot pot, porridge, mussel rice … especially on these hot summer days.